Author: gordon-block

At the beginning of the season, we gave you the rundown on the $590 million worth of construction underway at the University over the summer. With the herd of students converging back on the town and the start of classes only a week away, we couldn’t resist checking back in to see how many of the projects were finished—and it turns out that, for the most part, construction actually got done on or ahead of schedule, according to UVA media relations. Two other projects to look out for: This fall, renovations are expected to get underway for Garrett Hall and the Rugby Administrative Building.

Ruffin Hall, scheduled to be complete in July, is 97 percent complete and almost ready for occupancy.

Campbell Hall Additions
Cost: $15.6 million
Location: Off Rugby Road
Started: June 2006
What it’ll be good for: New classroom spaces for the School of Architecture, connectivity to Rugby Road
Est. time of completion: May 2008
Percent complete: 99 percent. The building has an occupancy permit and is expected to be ready for the start of classes.

Ruffin Hall
Cost: $25.9 million
Location: Off Rugby Road
Started: November 2006
What it’ll be good for: New class and studio space for art production
Est. time of completion: July 2008
Percent complete: 97 percent. Some roofwork, plumbing and cleaning still needs to be done before moving in.

Claude Moore Nursing Education Building
Cost: $15.6 million
Location: 15th Street, off Jefferson Park Avenue
Started: October 2006
What it’ll be good for: New nursing classroom and office space, a student life center and computer kiosks throughout the building
Est. time of completion: July 2008
Percent complete: 100 percent. The building has been occupied.

Observatory Hill residence (Kellogg Hall)
Cost: $18.8 million
Location: Observatory Road
Started: March 2007
What it’ll be good for: Housing undergrads
Est. time of completion: August 2008
Percent complete: 100 percent. (It had better be, with students moving in this week.)

Main Heating Plant Environmental Compliance
Cost: $71.7 million
Location: Corner of JPA and Lee Street
Started: April 2005
What it’ll be good for: Heating 64 to 70 buildings around the University. The work will bring the plant up to environmental standards and improve efficiency.
Est. time of completion: September 2008
Percent complete: 99 percent. Just going through a final inspection.

South Chiller Plant Addition
Cost: $22.5 million
Location: Crispell Drive
Started: February 2007
What it’ll be good for: 4,000 tons of additional cooling to accommodate all these new buildings at the Health System
Est. time of completion: November 2008
Percent complete: 90 percent. Look out for some road closures for paving on Crispell Drive, located near the plant.

Snyder Translational Research Building and Life Sciences Annex
Cost: $80.5 million
Location: Fontaine Research Park
Started: April 2006
What it’ll be good for: Medical research across multiple departments
Est. time of completion: December 2008
Percent complete: The Synder building is done, and the Life Sciences Annex is on schedule for December completion.

Projects still a ways from completion

South Lawn, Phase I
Cost: $105 million
Location: Jefferson Park Avenue
Started: June 2007
Completion: November 2010
What it’ll be good for: Classroom and office space for Arts & Sciences, as well as a new grassy pedestrian route to get from one side of JPA to the other

Bavaro Hall
Cost: $37.5 million
Location: Emmet Street, in front of outdoor basketball courts
Started: April 2008
Completion: April 2010
What it’ll be good for: Classroom and office space for the School of Education

Claude Moore Medical Education Building
Cost: $40.7 million
Location: 15th Street, off Jefferson Park Avenue
Started: November 2007
Completion: May 2010
What it’ll be good for: New classroom space for medical students, including a snazzy Medical Simulation Training Center

Carter-Harrison Research Building
Cost: $84.1 million
Location: Crispell Drive, off Jefferson Park Avenue
Started: March 2006
Completion: March 2009
What it’ll be good for: Medical research, office space and researcher housing

Emily Couric Cancer Center
Cost: $74 million
Location: Lee Street, off Jefferson Park Avenue
Started: April 2008
Completion: April 2011
What it’ll be good for: Cancer research and treatment

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In a specially convened meeting Wednesday evening, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors quickly passed a resolution supporting the replacement of the Advance Mills Bridge. The resolution, passed by a unanimous vote, was put together following the end of public comment on the bridge on July 22. The special meeting was convened in order to quickly show support and keep the ball rolling on the bridge construction. Clocking in at 15 minutes, it was one of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors’ shortest sessions ever.

Before voting on the resolution, Board members discussed possible designs for the bridge, including the brief mention of a covered bridge. However, supervisors dismissed the closed design as unfeasible, citing costs along with the time to study the structural effects to the bridge as too high.

Supervisors held a special meeting to keep the bureaucracy moving on a new Advance Mills bridge. This one was shut down more than a year ago because of VDOT fears that it would fail.

The bridge, which serves as a connector over the North Fork Rivanna River, has been out since April 2007, much to the chagrin of Albemarle County residents who regularly used the bridge to get to town.

“[Without the bridge], it divides the community in half,” says Ann Mallek, the supervisor whose district includes the area isolated by the bridge outage. “We have people who live on the north side whose mailboxes and grocery stores are on the south side, and there’s a nine-mile detour. It really has severed us.”

Paul “Kip” Newland, a member of the Advance Mills community, spoke on the lost bridge’s effect on local business. “It cut across all of the merchants who we dealt with. It hurt their business and it hurt our access because once we got on [Route] 29, we just went into Charlottesville and we didn’t patronize them anymore and that wasn’t good.”

“There was a lot of folks in the community who put a lot of pressure on our Board and indirectly on VDOT to do something on this bridge,” says Supervisor David Slutzky. “These are people that have been cut off from access to emergency vehicles and access to community and a whole lot of real-life consequences from having that bridge shut down.”

County officials expect the new bridge to be completed between fall 2009 and spring 2010. Plans originally called for a temporary bridge to be up in place by April 2008, with a permanent bridge up by 2011. But cost cutting led VDOT to ditch the temporary bridge and expedite the replacement: Officials estimate the construction of the one permanent bridge at $3 million will save $2 million.

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During discussions last year regarding what to do about the city’s crumbling indoor swimming facilities, the lap swimmers of the world—well, at least of the city—seemed to hold their collective breath. With the subsequent decision to remodel Smith Pool, there were many fears that the pool’s closure would overload nearby Crow Pool.

However, early signs suggest that these fears may have been uncalled-for. “There were [complaints] initially, that Smith was going to be closing down,” says Bob Manners, aquatics supervisor for the city Department of Parks and Recreation. “But because we did it, we moved and advertised it far enough in advance that we haven’t had all that many.”

For now, Crow Pool, seen here, doesn’t seem to suffer from overload after the decision to remodel Smith Pool. But multiple school swimming teams will share the facility come winter.

During a recent visit to the Crow Pool building, located by Walker Upper Elementary School, the pool was in use, but far from capacity. Employees at Crow Pool haven’t noticed any major changes in usage. “Some of the people from Smith Pool have come here, but it hasn’t been a huge thing,” says Lori Hosecker, a lifeguard.

However, the winter may bring a different story, as multiple school swimming teams will share the facility, making for difficult scheduling. Charlottesville High School’s boys and girls’ squads practice and hold meets at the pool. Officials at Albemarle High School, whose swim team holds two home meets at Crow Pool, say that that school had to adjust the date of a meet to fit with the pool’s schedule.

Those hoping for another pool may not want to hold their breath. Construction is underway for a new facility at the site of the old Smith Pool, but it’s not expected to be completed until fall 2010. Also, a new YMCA fitness and aquatic center is slated to be finished in the summer of 2010.

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Three city roads—Elliott Avenue, Brandywine Drive and Franklin Street—will soon join the ranks of those with $200 minimum fines for speeding, thanks to a 3-2 vote on June 16.

“I hoped the ordinance would begin to change the culture in the city, and make the city more pedestrian friendly, more bicycle friendly, and wheelchair friendly,” says Councilor Holly Edwards, one of the three to vote in support of the ordinance.

Old Lynchburg Road will soon get more company in the $200 minimum fine category.

Last year, City Council instituted $200 minimum fines for Old Lynchburg Road, Avon Street and Altavista Avenue. Though the fines have been in place since September, the data is mixed on their effectiveness. The 85th percentile speed was reduced only 2 miles per hour on those roads. Citations went down on Old Lynchburg by 31 percent, but went up dramatically on Avon Street. For all of the streets, time spent by police on traffic stops went up.

“I’m not totally convinced that a reduction in 2 miles per hour will make that much of a difference,” says Councilor Julian Taliaferro, who, with Satyendra Huja, voted against the fines.

Money collected from the fines goes into the city’s general fund.

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Despite going through what some might consider an offseason by UVA’s standards, baseball Head Coach Brian O’Connor and his team fought inexperience to make it to the ACC tournament finals and to the NCAA regional tournament. Overall, O’Connor was happy with his team’s play.

“I thought it was a good season,” says O’Connor. “There were some tough times throughout the year, but I was really proud of our players and how we played at the end of the year.”

The regular season was less than kind to the Wahoo squad. The team took fifth place in the conference while posting a 15-15 record in the ACC. Virginia was 19-9 the year before.

“The ACC is considered the No. 1 baseball conference in the country,” O’Connor says. “To be No. 5 in this league is quite an accomplishment. This year, we were playing four true freshmen every day and some days five.” However, as the team’s young players improved, so did the team’s prospects.

Baseball Head Coach Brian O’Connor had to help his team overcome inexperience this season.

Going against long odds at the ACC tournament, the team was able to defeat No. 3 seed North Carolina and No. 2 seed Florida State. The 8-7 victory over UNC was especially memorable, as the win came in 11 innings, following late runs from both teams at the end of the game.

“I thought it was our best win of the year,” says O’Connor. “How we won the game was impressive.” The two wins clinched a spot in the finals, where they fell to No. 1 seed Miami 8-4.

The team’s impressive ACC tournament run earned the team a bid in the NCAA regional tournament. The regional took the team to California, a place no Virginia baseball team had played before. Despite beating Rider, losses to Cal State Fullerton and UCLA sent the Cavs packing. The team’s regional exit was the fifth in five straight NCAA tourney appearances.

O’Connor was discontented by the team’s inability to advance past regional play. “There isn’t some magic formula for advancing past the regionals, it’s just continuing to recruit good players and playing good baseball,” says O’Connor.

Last week, the Major League Baseball draft took a toll on the team’s starting lineup. Second baseman David Adams and starting pitcher Jacob Thompson, both juniors, were drafted in the first five rounds and are expected to sign professional contracts with the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves, respectively. Shortstop Greg Miclat was also taken in the first day of the draft, though he may weigh his options before signing with the Baltimore Orioles. Three other Cavaliers were picked in the second day of the draft.

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The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors could end the use of pesticides around the county’s parks and schools, depending on the outcome of a June 4 public hearing. At the meeting, Board members will hear recommendations from the county’s Safer Chemical Committee.

Jackie Lombardo, member of the National Sierra Club Toxins Committee and the local Sierra Club, was one of the first to address the Board of Supervisors of the dangers of the use of chemicals and pesticides on the health of children when the item was discussed last year.

“Scientists tell us there are more health risks involved with the use of pesticides,” says Lombardo. “Children’s health has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in the last 20 years.”

“From my point of view, [without any pesticides] we’re going to sacrifice our playing fields,” says Tim Hughes, athletic supervisor for county Parks and Rec.

The meeting is a continuation from last summer, when the issue first was raised. The county Parks and Recreation department then agreed to an interim policy to limit, though not completely eliminate, the use of pesticides. Some of the issues taking center stage in the debate will include the health risks for children, the upkeep of playing fields, and the potential costs associated with a reduction in pesticides and chemicals.

Lombardo places some blame for the numbers of students with chronic health conditions and in special ed classes on an increase in exposure to pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

“We’re seeing chemicals and materials that 75 years ago didn’t exist,” Lombardo says. “We’re at a point where kids—our canaries in the coal mines—are getting sicker and sicker.”

But Tim Hughes, athletic supervisor for Parks and Rec, is concerned about the state of the fields with limited pesticide use. Last year’s interim policy effectively put an end to the use, with the exception of common weed killer Roundup.

“Some of the fields are in a little worse condition,” says Hughes. “One in particular is Western Albemarle High School’s baseball field, which is pretty heavily infested with dandelions.” Sarah Temple, environmental compliance manager for the county, acknowledged that in certain cases, the only way to act was to use pesticides.

“In some cases, like treating for poison ivy, we haven’t found a chemical-free answer for getting rid of that,” Temple says. Hughes felt that without pesticides, drastic effects could be seen.

“From my point of view, [without any pesticides] we’re going to sacrifice our playing fields,” says Hughes.

Also under consideration are the potential cost increases that could come from a change in the use of chemicals and pesticides.

“There would be some increased costs in terms of the labor and the fact that some green-labeled products are more expensive,” Hughes says. However, with the costs could come some benefits.

“You have to look at the soft benefits,” Temple says. “Using less chemicals and materials can’t be bad for the environment.”

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