Author: burke-speaker

Veronica Brooks left the Darden School of Business (www.darden.edu) on January 31 more than a little miffed. After listening to back-and-forth discussion at the school’s first-ever Symposium on Poverty—featuring experts in fields such as public policy, education and outreach—Brooks shook her head in dismay. “I’m just really surprised there isn’t more awareness about these things,” Brooks said.

On the other hand, that was exactly the point.

Organized by UVA’s Student Committee on Social Responsibility, the poverty symposium divided into five groups tackling the always-cheery poverty-related aspects of race, education, investing, health care and wealth distribution. The idea? Examine the socioeconomic implications of poverty—which is the Darden way of saying, “What’s this gonna cost and who’s gonna pay for it?” In the education group that Brooks joined, the answer was clearly: “We’ll get back to you on that one.”

Some Darden students had a lot to learn at a symposium on poverty offered last week.

A few facts were tossed out by the moderator, such as that, in fourth grade reading tests, 41 percent of white students are at least “proficient” versus 13 percent of black students. Some questioned No Child Left Behind’s philosophy of taking funding from low-performing schools. Another asked how long the government should keep pouring money into an investment (i.e., the school system) that’s not panning out.

Finding many of the comments ill-informed, Brooks finally spoke up to offer herself as a case study. A senior from the rural town of Halifax in Southside, where a faltering school system produced numerous dropouts and teen pregnancies, the African-American undergrad came to UVA on a full scholarship.

“Economics and race, they’re interwoven, and it’s often hard to untangle that knot. But I left and I’m here,” she said. After graduation, she’ll spend two years in the Teach for America program, teaching impoverished middle school students in rural Louisiana.

Most of the poverty-worrying crowd, largely Darden students, could comfortably discuss the subject in the abstract, knowing that MBA grads rake in upwards of $120,000 a year. First year teachers? Subtract about $90,000. Perhaps the symposium could have added one more facet: donations.

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For the past 23 years, Jack Horn Jr. has seen a disturbing trend. As president of Martin Horn General Contractors (www.martinhorn.com) in Charlottesville, Horn’s company has built, renovated or expanded some of the city’s most recognized landmarks—Scott Stadium, the Jefferson Library at Monticello and the Charlottesville Pavilion—all the while weathering the slow-but-sure deterioration of laborers in the construction field.

“I guess this is about as bad as it’s ever been,” Horn says. “We feel it in part with our subcontractors we work with, and certainly carpenters are hard to come by. People don’t see it as a viable career opportunity anymore.”

Jack Horn Jr., president of Martin Horn General Contractors, says that fewer people see construction as a "viable career opportunity."

In 2005, a State report noted that “growth in Virginia’s construction industry dramatically outpaces the supply of workers.” In Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson and Buckingham counties, the need for workers is projected to increase 40 percent from now until 2015. And the bad news doesn’t stop with the state: Some 50 percent of builders nationwide report severe or “some shortage” of carpenters and 40 percent are concerned about the availability of roofers, according to the National Association of Home Builders (www.nahb.org).

The downward spiral began in the mid-‘90s with the expanding housing market and hasn’t slowed, especially as older workers head for retirement and younger workers head into less labor-intensive fields, such as technology. The average age of a construction worker is 47.

So what to do? Locally, Piedmont Virginia Community College (www.pvcc.edu) has nabbed a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Labor grant for its Construction Academy, which may help meet worker demand. Immigrants also play a major role in the nation’s construction workforce. The NAHB’s report stated 20 percent of the construction workforce are immigrants, mostly Mexicans. Citywide, it’s even greater. At Advanced Concrete Foundations in Charlottesville, about 80 to 90 percent of the labor force—from skilled laborers to foremen—are Hispanic.

Still, with the housing market looking to cool this year, the only thing smaller companies may have to worry about is finding jobs. But for higher-end companies such as Martin Horn, it’s not stopping work, just making the search tougher. “It’s still hard finding masonry subcontractors,” Horn says. “When we have bidding, there’s usually three different subcontractors. We’re fortunate [these days] to have just one mason who will do the job.”

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What is it about bridges lately that has people wanting so much to slam into them? That’s the question City and County officials may be pondering, with a seeming increase in the number of bridge-related accidents throughout the area—and a special shout out goes to the 14th Street railroad bridge on the Corner, which wins the award for Most Likely to Be Struck By a Truck.

There’s no backing out of this situation. When truck drivers hit bridges, as this one did to the 14th Street bridge recently, VDOT likes to send them (or their insurance company) the bill.

VDOT Public Affairs Officer Lou Hatter, who oversees the Culpeper District, says while there’s no record for the number of bridge-related accidents throughout the region, he’s noticed an increase in the last year, with two that highlight the glaring reason you don’t want to hit a bridge: the cost. When a truck hit the Old Ivy Road bridge in June, the accident left structural damage that resulted in a $450,000 price tag—so far. In December, another unlucky driver struck the bridge under Route 17 and Interstate 66 in Fauquier County, and that cost could be equally high.

While VDOT absorbs the initial cost for the what is deemed “emergency work,” the final bill usually ends up in the mailbox of the sad soul who struck the bridge (or oftentimes, as in the case of the Old Ivy Road bridge, the sad soul’s insurance company). Of course, many times drivers will strike the bridge’s guard rails and take off, leaving VDOT or the City to come up with the money.

Which is why police don’t have a lot of patience for bridge-striking fools and their oversized vehicles. The 14th Street bridge is struck often, says Charlottesville Police Sgt. L.A. Durrette, despite an installed mechanical device that beeps loudly when an oversized vehicle is headed for the bridge, accidents there still occur. And when they do, there’s always a ticket involved. An accident could incur a moving violation, but Durrette points out that usually drivers are slapped with a reckless driving ticket that then sends them to court, where each ruling—and set of fines—will depend on the judge.

Anytime a bridge is hit, structural engineers with VDOT will arrive to determine if the structure is safe. In the case of the Old Ivy Road bridge, repair work could last for months, depending on the severity of the damage. Work there is ongoing and isn’t expected to be done until the next month—even longer should weather delays push back work.

If only you could blame it on the bridge.

Apparently word travels fast—at least among habitual parking violators, anyway.

As of January 1, a loophole closed that previously allowed offenders of unpaid parking tickets to go unpunished, and while it’s a little too early see any concrete trends, City officials say for now it appears those who took advantage in the past may have gotten the message. And that message is roughly: We’re on to your little game and we’re not gonna take it anymore.

Habitual parking offenders will have to find other ways to beat the $15 ticket. So far no one has asked to go to court.

Because parking tickets can be appealed in the General District Court for a trial, street-savvy individuals would challenge their parking tickets in court. If they failed to appear, the court would take no action against them, and the tickets were basically dropped. Court records indicated that some habitual offenders caught on to this, and used the loophole to park free citywide. Not a bad way to beat a $15 to $100 parking ticket.

Ric Barrick, Charlottesville’s director of communications, says that as of the third week in January nobody had challenged a parking ticket in court.

The new City code states that “summons to appear in General District Court will no longer be issued, unless a request is made to the City Treasurer’s Office within 96 hours of the issue date,” and, “If you request a hearing within 96 hours of the issue date and do not appear, you will be tried in your absence.” Additionally, three or more unsettled parking violations mean a possible trip to the impound (since your car will be towed) or immobilization (the boot). And of course, failure to pay could mean either suspension or revocation of your driver’s license.

Despite a recent trend in a violent crime upswing nationwide, it appears that at least for now Albemarle County has dodged the bullet—perhaps even a few of them. Newly released crime statistics show that the county saw a decrease in reported aggravated assaults and rapes (and no homicides) in 2006, while in Charlottesville violent crimes were kept in check with previous years, with no major fluctuation either way.

But it’s the nonviolent crime that has police troubled, since those numbers are on the way up. Statistically speaking, 2002 and 2003 and were lull years for nonviolent crime in the county and city, meaning burglaries, larcenies, robberies and even motor vehicle theft. Not anymore. Countywide, about 90 more burglaries occurred last year than in 2005 (a 30 percent increase) and nearly 50 more in the city (an 18 percent increase). Larcenies also jumped in Charlottesville to 1,743 in 2006 from 1,518 in 2005. Albemarle County went to 1,763 from 1,697, and robberies, which are violent crimes, increased to 42 from 26 in 2006.

Sources: Albemarle Police, Charlottesville Police

Now for worse news: It’s the less violent crime that’s often harder to bust, and as population spikes, so will crime. Albemarle County Police Lt. John Teixeira says in many burglary cases, such as the recent burglaries in the Hessian Hills subdivision off Barracks Road, it’s typically the work of one or two “career criminals”—you catch those culprits, the numbers decline. Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo echoes those sentiments, saying most burglaries peak in residential areas near UVA during Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. “We’re not so much surprised with higher numbers than we are disappointed,” says Longo.

Police officials credit a proactive police presence in the community, coupled with aggressive crime prevention units and neighborhood watches, for the violent- crime decline. As for burglaries, larcenies and vehicle thefts, police are already acting: Longo says in the coming months, City police will be re-evaluating their strategic plan to focus on what the new statistics show. Teixeira says he’s adding more evening patrols and increasing the police presence and resources such as surveillance cameras to high crime areas, most notably the urban ring around the city.

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With new studies, updated lesson plans and endless hours of homework, it was a busy year in Albemarle County and Charlottesville schools—and we’re not just talking about the students. Following their appointments in 2006, Albemarle County Public Schools (www.K12.albemarle.org) Superintendent Pamela Moran and Charlottesville City schools (www.ccs.K12.va.us) Superintendent Rosa Atkins say they’re energetic about starting 2007 the same way they think they ended 2006: by changing the face of student education.

City schools Superintendent Rosa Atkins, who started last summer, says it’s been a "fast-moving six months" since her tenure began, but that the community seems to have embraced her vision.

Moran, appointed last January after serving as the County’s assistant superintendent for instruction, says the year was everything she expected “and more.” Her accomplishments are forward-looking ones: The County school system is pressing ahead with its language curriculum (teaching Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Japanese). And in the next few months, Moran and her team will consider the application of a second charter school.

“We want to become a more competitive school division and get out of the one-size-fits-all school model,” Moran says.

Not that Moran didn’t face some challenges. While the Coun-ty schools boast an impressive 60 percent rate of students taking at least one college level course, they acknowledge that minority and economically dis-advantaged students are not faring as well. So last fall, three of the County schools launched a national program targeting underrepresented students in efforts to bridge those achievement gaps.

In City schools, bridging achievement gaps is the No. 1 priority for Atkins, and she says she’s made significant progress. When she started her appointment, the City School Board had already set her agenda with a strategic plan that included evaluating program efficiency, upping graduation rates and increasing the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes. Atkins says nearly 80 percent of that plan has been adopted. And this fall, teachers implemented updated curriculum guidelines and finalized student benchmark assessments.

But Aktins touts her greatest work as building relationships in the community. “It’s key in developing and reaching any of the goals we have,” Atkins says.

But there’s still work to do. Three City schools haven’t met No Child Left Behind standards: Johnson, Buford and Walker. And budgets for both the County and City schools must be finalized to meet the new ambitious plans. Adds Moran: “The work we are doing is never finished.”

Timing is everything. Students on track for a May graduation date from UVA are treated to a ceremonial smorgasbord of festive “Final Exercises,” while those slated for a January graduation get what could be called the collegiate shaft. Simply put, they don’t get a commencement ceremony at all. And because of tradition, the University would like to keep it that way.

UVA grads get all the pomp and circumstance they can stomach in May, but those who opt for midterm graduation get no official sendoff beyond a diploma in the mail.

This year, UVA records show 544 “degree candidates,” mean-ing students eligible for grad-uation, are set for a January 4 degree confirmation, though those December exams and papers could end up knocking that number down. New graduates can either pick up diplomas or have them mailed home, but will leave town with nary a balloon or confetti dropped.

“We really encourage the students to graduate in four years, to get the whole undergraduate college experience,” says Carol Wood, UVA spokesperson. Because no one should be faulted for graduating early (or even a semester late), Wood says University officials urge the students to come back for the May commencement ceremonies, when thousands of students walk the Lawn for graduation.

Of course, not all schools snub mid-year ceremonies. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduated 1,266 December grads. Despite a lower number than in May, the university holds a commencement ceremony for all mid-year graduates, and individual schools often do as well.

But, at least this year, UVA’s mid-year grads have one thing going for them: jobs. According to the National Association of College and Employers’ (www.naceweb.org) Job Outlook 2007 survey, employers expect to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates than they hired last year—and the early graduates are lining up first.

While few of us can draw the imaginary lines separating Charlottesville from Albemarle, recent surveys underscore the differences. When all is said and done, county living ranks just a cut above city living, according to two surveys from the UVA Center for Survey Research. Overall, they indicate that both city and county residents are extremely pleased with their quality of life in Central Virginia.

Residents report slightly higher opinions of the quality of life in the county over the city, but that doesn’t worry Charlottesville Mayor David Brown. "How could we not be pleased?" Brown says of the survey, where residents rate the city 7.7 on a 10 point scale as a place to live.

Commissioned separately earlier this year by the County Board of Supervisors and the City Neighborhood Development Services, the surveys covered everything from development and education to urbanization and public services. Charlottesville nabbed a mean rating of 7.72 out of 10 for quality of life, slightly down from a 7.89 rating in a similar 2000 survey. County living, however, ranked 8.04 out of 10.

Despite the city’s second-place finish, Charlottesville Mayor David Brown says he was thrilled with many of the results. “How could we not be pleased?” Brown says. “But we know where the problem areas are. Affordable housing is one of the bigger issues for people, so it was no big surprise that it was on the top of the list.” Some 90 percent of city respondents reported the cost of buying a home in Charlottesville is too high. Similarly, the percentage of respondents who reported a concern with providing affordable housing for lower-income people increased significantly to 84 percent this year, up from 74 percent of those surveyed in 2000.

While housing stood out as a top-rated concern, the survey also showed city and county residents being extremely satisfied with public services such as fire fighting and police, with 90.6 percent satisfied in the county and 87.3 percent satisfied in the city. The survey also showed what’s pretty well known: City life appeals to the young. While county respondents were mostly 50 to 64, the city respondents were mostly 26 to 37.

The least favorable rating for the county? Managing growth—only 55.6 percent approved. But Supervisor Dennis Rooker says that while growth is always an issue, people are pleased with the general idea of growth areas. “The survey did show that people favored restrictions of growth to certain development areas, which is what we’ve been doing,” Rooker says.