Author: casey-ireland

The current reconstruction of one of Jackson Burley Middle’s multi-use fields will result in a new athletic track for the school and improved drainage systems for the field, George Shifflett, Deputy Director of Building Services for Albemarle County, told C-VILLE.

Tracks and field: Jackson Burley Middle School’s new field will also host the Soccer Organization of Charlottesville-Albemarle upon completion.

The new five-lane, 250-meter asphalt track replaces a previous version made unusable and unsafe by drainage issues and wear and tear, says Maury Brown, county schools spokesperson. In order to correct standing water issues, the Burley field project also includes proper grading, drainage swales, and an underground drainage system. The project costs an estimated $186,000.

Once completed, the track will be used for physical education classes, by Murray High School students and community members alike, says Brown. Because county school fields can be rented out by organizations, the new surface should be safer for both students and community groups such as the Soccer Organization of Charlottesville-Albemarle. SOCA has used Burley Middle School for the group’s 10-and-under division in recent years because of its central location and accessibility, says Program Coordinator Matt Wilson. However, the field’s standing water issues have made playing on it difficult, if not impossible at times. Wilson says he is “kind of excited” by the potential created by the field’s improvements, but says that the short-term effects on SOCA are “not great.” With Burley’s field out of commission, other local fields are currently under pressure.

The project’s completion has been slated for August 22, two days before Albemarle County Public Schools are back in session for the 2011-2012 school year. However, the field will not be available for immediate use, “in order for the grass to be established,” says Shifflett. SOCA is not planning to use the field either this fall or spring but will be “disappointed” if the field is not ready for fall 2012.

Heath Bar-flavored ice cream has been a staple at Chaps Ice Cream for 23 years, according to owner Tony LaBua. The flavor —one of the shop’s most popular—recently drew the ire of The Hershey Company, which took issue with Chaps for its direct use of the Heath Bar trademark.

Tony LaBua needs a new name for the Heath Bar-flavored ice cream he has offered at Chaps for more than two decades, after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from The Hershey Company.

On July 8, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, a firm representing Hershey’s intellectual property rights, issued LaBua a cease-and-desist letter, which ordered LaBua to rename the toffee-flavored ice cream. The letter included a photograph of the Chaps website and its flavor list, including the trademark-violating “Heath Bar” tag.

To comply with the letter, LaBua must remove “Heath Bar” from the flavor’s name. Leaving the name, according to Hershey, “creates an implication that Hershey has licensed or endorsed” Chaps Ice Cream. If LaBua chooses to include that the product is made with the candy, he must use a registered trademark symbol following the brand name.

Amy L. Wright, a partner with Taft Stettinius & Hollister, declined to comment for this story. Calls to representatives of The Hershey Company were not returned by press time. The company has engaged in trademark disputes before—namely, a few with The Hershey Creamery Company, which operates Hershey’s Ice Cream stores.

Asked what possible name the formerly titled “Heath Bar” ice cream will be given, LaBua said he will probably rename the flavor “English toffee ice cream.”

“If Hershey wants me to call it ‘English toffee,’ I’m happy not to call it a Hershey product,” said LaBua. He added that the flavor’s name will be changed during upcoming website maintenance.

Hershey’s letter to LaBua also included a request to sign his compliance and return the letter by July 22. However, LaBua received the letter on the deadline date and was thus unable to return the signed letter on time. LaBua told C-VILLE that he had been on vacation and therefore unaware of the letter’s contents. Upon reading the letter, LaBua said, he was too busy chuckling about its content to examine the return date.

As of August 10, Chaps Ice Cream had not yet complied with the cease-and-desist letter from Hershey. However, while LaBua stated that he did not think the order was “that big of a deal,” he said he would be a “Mr. Goodbar kind of guy” and comply with Hershey’s orders.

Just when you thought the stretch between Hydraulic and Barracks roads couldn’t get any busier, a popular shortcut between the two roads closed July 5 for construction. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) closed the southbound lane of Georgetown Road, which sees a daily average of roughly 16,000 cars, for a pedestrian-friendly makeover that will add a 5′-wide sidewalk and marked crossings to the 0.8-mile road. The current walking path is occasionally obstructed by tree roots, and its width does not meet Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

While Georgetown may become more easily navigable for pedestrians, residents who use other forms of transportation will not benefit so greatly. VDOT spokesman Lou Hatter tells C-VILLE that bike lanes are not included in the construction plans.

Members of Bike Charlottesville, a local coalition of bicycle advocates and riders, expressed to C-VILLE their disappointment in the exclusion of bicycle lanes. Mac Lafferty noted that the lack of lanes on a “major connector” constitutes a “real hazard” for bicyclists. According to Lafferty, local cyclists should “keep vigil on new projects” to avoid a similar dearth of input on future construction.

While the southbound lane will reopen after August 25, construction teams will continue to work on traffic signals and grading through September 23. In the meantime, signs will direct southbound drivers towards Route 29 as a “detour.”