Author: mark-meier

The school bus stops outside Stephanie Gist’s house at the corner of Fifth and Dice streets in Fifeville, a neighborhood of hills, narrow roads and odd intersections. As Gist watched on September 1, a girl hurried from Dice Street to cross Fifth Street to catch her bus. The girl could not see two cars barreling along Fifth Street, nor could the cars see her.

Gist had witnessed many minor and near accidents, including cars regularly swiping side-view mirrors. People in the neighborhood know to slow down, look for pedestrians, and take turns proceeding, she says, but to others, the road “has become a major thoroughfare. People drive faster than 25; it’s not considered a neighborhood in their minds.” 

The cars, fortunately, did manage to dodge the schoolgirl and each other. Nonetheless, it was the last straw for Gist. “I felt like I couldn’t wait any more. The frustration is always going back for more studies. Everyone agrees there’s a problem, then it dies down.” For now, the very development encircling the neighborhood and exacerbating its hazards necessitates, according to the city, another study. 

Donovan Branche, assistant traffic engineer for the city of Charlottesville, explains that the city is “undertaking a holistic neighborhood study for the area surrounded by Roosevelt Brown Boulevard, Cherry Avenue, Ridge Street and West Main Street. We felt that it was necessary to do a comprehensive neighborhood-wide study because of the impending commercial development surrounding this neighborhood,” she said in an e-mail. “The study will give us data on directional volume counts with speeds and turning movement counts for the Fifeville area. The city is aware of both traffic and infrastructure issues in this area but we don’t feel they are more pervasive than in other areas within a commercial development area.”

Indeed, the area is an enclave of low-density residential zoning surrounded by thick bands of businesses, high-density housing and major roads. Cars cut down 5th and Dice streets to avoid traffic lights at busy intersections, such as at Monticello Avenue and Ridge Street or the UVA Hospital. Almost 100 housing units planned at the corner of Cherry and Ridge will likely add traffic. “When new development comes in,” Branche said, “we take steps at every point of the process to mitigate some of the traffic issues, but in urban areas it is nearly impossible to have no impact on surrounding roads.”

Other parts of Fifeville have received new speed humps, one-way roads and lighted crosswalks to help cars and pedestrians mingle, but in Gist’s area, these features are missing. The absence has proven dangerous. More than a year ago, a boy was playing on Dice Street when he stepped off the curb and was put into a coma by an accelerating car. Gist’s neighbor Josh Yates didn’t see the impact, but “I heard it. The child flew about 10 feet. The conditions of the street made that happen, and quite frankly, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened again,” he says. 

The accident spurred a neighborhood petition for improved safety on Fifth and Dice streets. “People have been asking for this stuff for a long time. I’m not trying to take potshots, but I’ve never seen a real concerted effort to think through the best way to direct pedestrians and other traffic,” says Yates.

For Branche, that effort has begun. “I understand the frustration. However, the community is in need of a comprehensive study because conditions have changed so much over the past 20 years. We are determined to implement the best recommendations as the budget will allow.”

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Since a consultant recommended in January that Charlottesville City Schools close one elementary school, the schools have been putting the possibility to the public. As Superintendent Rosa Atkins explained at the outset of a meeting on Wednesday night at the South First Street Community Center, “We’ve known for some time that we need to discuss how we use our facilities. We have excess capacity in some buildings and overcrowding in others.”

The school system currently has six elementary schools from prekindergarten through fourth grade, an upper elementary for grades five and six, a middle school for grades seven and eight, and then the high school. Although CCS is open to other ideas, four concrete proposals have emerged: do nothing; close one elementary school; keep six elementary schools but make them extend through fifth grade, and create two separate middle schools for grades six to eight; or extend the elementary schools through fifth grade and make one large middle school. Altering the configuration of schools would also allow CCS to shift administrative offices and other programs to increase their efficiency. Each option for change is estimated to save CCS from $300,000 to $870,000 annually.

The lone parent at Wednesday’s meeting asked, “With closing one elementary school, how would that affect the number of students in our children’s classes?” Atkins assured her that in each scenario the school system had no intention of altering class sizes, which are currently well below state limits. When the parent asked about educational offerings at the current middle school, such as music or art, Atkins similarly assured her, “The programs we currently offer, we have no intention of taking them out.” Atkins further explained that if CCS returns to a two middle school system, as prevailed through the 1980s, “We want to ensure that we don’t revert to the previous configuration, where Walker was predominantly white, Buford predominantly black.”

Paul Vaughan of the nonprofit Public Housing Association of Residents mentioned that the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority was in the initial stages of redesigning all public housing in the city, a process that would likely conclude this fall and may affect the number of students in different parts of the school district. Vaughan said the simultaneous changes in housing and schools could be also “a real opportunity to redefine relationships.” The school board, meanwhile, will likely make a final decision about restructuring in December.

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In his State of the University Address in February, UVA President John Casteen proclaimed the University would respond to the sagging economy and its falling endowment by innovating and re-inventing itself. One change that he hoped would rake in more money was expanding online and distance learning.

“Imagine what we can do in places where we have never been, but where our name is known. It’s time to be able to exploit that kind of fame and notoriety in order to build new ventures that will produce revenues that sustain the University.” He added that the expansion would not be easy, yet “demand for the service is huge; it’s everywhere. But our success as a national system of education in meeting that is very, very limited.” Where might UVA might go with online and distance learning? It helps to know where the University already is.

Older adults vastly outnumber college-aged ones, creating a huge market for educational institutions. UVA currently reaches about 15,000 adults annually with online and distance learning through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Online learning means exactly that: Students take courses from faculty over the Internet and earn certificates in programs such as e-marketing, human resources, information technology or procurement and contracts.

Billy Cannaday, Jr., Dean of Continuing and Professional Studies, says the school wants to expand online opportunities “for adult learners who can’t come to Grounds or regional centers but still want an education.”
 
Such expansion requires helping adults who are not “digital natives” become comfortable learning online. A 22-question survey titled “Are You Ready to Learn Online?” notifies people they will often have to learn by reading and be prepared to work alone. And if they are in-state, they’ll pay between $280 and $300 per credit hour, comparable to community college rates.

Distance learning, meanwhile, has students in evening and weekend classes at UVA’s Zehmer Hall or one of six satellite classrooms in Richmond and Roanoke, among others. UVA has belonged for 20 years to a consortium of universities that offers engineering master’s degrees at a distance and it also offers distance programs for teacher accreditation, nursing and other professional licenses. Finally, for the past 10 years, it has offered its own Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS).

The BIS program has graduated about 200 students over its entire existence and is expanding. Cannaday says the school had around 50 graduates this year, and “We are now partnering with community colleges in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to offer four-year Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which is another opportunity to make the University of Virginia accessible for students who can’t get here in traditional ways, whether because of economics or life experiences.” Cannaday adds faculty have commented that, academically, BIS students compare favorably with traditional undergraduates and can contribute more personal experiences to discussion.

Beyond the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, UVA has joined the New College Institute, founded in 2006 as a solely online and distance learning facility in Martinsville. UVA and other schools such as Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University send faculty to the school to teach classes, while the certificates and degrees come from the participating universities themselves.

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Albemarle County has six districts represented on the Board of Supervisors, and the seat from the Samuel Miller District has been dominated since 1994 by Sally Thomas, who won a write-in campaign that opposed a Route 29 “Western Bypass” through the county. Her decision to retire at the end of this term opens the race for her replacement. Whether her slow-growth legacy will be continued, however, remains to be seen. 

The Samuel Miller District begins at the southwestern edge of the county and runs between the Mechum River and Route 20 until meeting Old Garth Road and Charlottesville. It thus encompasses about 10,500 registered voters in Covesville, Batesville, North Garden, and Ivy, who increasingly vote Democratic with the occasional Independent, such as Thomas herself.

In the 1980s, the county reduced the number of homes that could be built per acre but struggles to remain rural. In the time Thomas has been a county supervisor, Albemarle’s population grew at a rate 50 percent faster than the state as a whole, rising from about 74,000 people to 94,000. In an e-mail, Thomas notes, “Since 30,000 more homes could be built in the county’s rural area with existing zoning, the residents of the Samuel Miller district watch the disappearance of farms and wonder about the future of what they enjoy in the rural nature of the district.”

That rural character, plus nature itself, has faced various threats in the Samuel Miller District. When the Ivy Landfill closed in 2001, leaks contaminated the groundwater and led the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to intervene. Petroleum spills from the Trading Post on Route 29 contaminated neighbors’ well water from 1988 into the early 2000s. That contamination led to an ordinance that wells be tested before new homes were built. Silt has accumulated in the South Fork Reservoir and contributed to ongoing water supply brouhahas, including proposals to dredge the reservoir or to run a pipe from it to Ragged Mountain Reservoir.

Thomas, often with fellow Supervisor Dennis Rooker, attempted to preserve the county’s rural character despite mounting populations. In 2002, the pair supported VDOT’s plan finally to abandon the Route 29 bypass; VDOT dropped plans to widen Route 250 after Samuel Miller residents resisted. In 2007, Rooker and Thomas futilely opposed a “jobs development fund” that would entice companies into the county. But when the board voted to support affordable housing in the county, both Rooker and Thomas agreed.

Technological growth, meanwhile, drove an ordinance in 2004 to limit the scourge of cell phone towers. The ordinance requires a balloon be used to indicate where a proposed tower would stand so that residents can assess the nuisance. Finished towers, the first of which was in the Samuel Miller District, must remain within 7′ of treetop height. The county’s ordinance has become a model for other municipalities.

The school system, too, has expanded. The Samuel Miller District’s schools fed into well-regarded Western Albemarle High School until the opening of Monticello High School in 1998, which diverted some students and worried their parents. Thomas anticipates further fights as population growth near Crozet means elementary schools elsewhere will no longer be able to send their students to Western Albemarle. She also anticipates a literal dogfight as subdivisions pop up in rural areas: “Rural residents often look on dogs quite differently from how suburban residents do—stay tuned on that issue.”

Will Thomas’s legacy continue? Democrat Madison Cummings and Republican contenders Phillip Melita and Duane Snow could not be reached for comment, but Independent John Lowry, also looking to replace Thomas, said she “worked smartly and hard to have our community become a highly admired place to live.” He would work to increase jobs and wealth.

Charlottesville’s Democrats used a new “unassembled caucus” Saturday, May 9, to elect Dave Norris and Kristin Szakos as their candidates for City Council and James Brown III, as their candidate for Sheriff in the November 3 general election.

Until this year, Democrats had gathered at a nomination meeting to decide their slate of candidates. The meeting, however, could be drawn out and difficult for some people to attend. On March 19 of this year, the Charlottesville City Democratic Committee introduced procedures for the new unassembled caucus. Registered Democrats who acknowledged Democratic principles and pledged not to vote against Democratic nominees in the fall could cast their ballot at Burley Middle School on Rose Hill any time between 9am and 7pm on Saturday. People who could not easily leave their car could even vote from the curb. Meanwhile, people who could not make the May 9 date had two earlier alternate dates for casting their ballots, and ill or infirm Democrats could complete a ballot at home. Candidates had also held a rally in April and posted videos of their 12-minute speeches on YouTube.

The new rules pleased many people. “I thought the process was great, absolutely great,” says Brown. “It gave the public the opportunity to decide who would be the candidate in the fall. A lot more people were involved in the process, almost four times as many. It opened the process up.”

Indeed, throughout the day, the polls resembled a small festival. People milled around outside the school and talked beneath the many brightly colored tents. Campaign signs covered the grass. Cars continually pulled in and out. By the end, 1600 people had cast their votes, exceeding expectations.

Mayor Dave Norris, overwhelmingly chosen to represent the Democrats for City Council, noted that a large turnout “bodes well for the general election in November,” he says. He also expressed appreciation for Julian Taliaferro’s service to the community and City Council; the current Vice Mayor did not make the ticket.

“November is a long way off,” continued Norris. “The primary comes too early if you ask me. It should really be in late summer or early fall.” That way, momentum from the primary can carry into the election.

The candidates, however, can use the time to rest and regroup. “My immediate task is catching up on sleep. The long-term task is learning a lot. I’ve been talking to people all along, but I’ll be boning up on the issues and thinking about my vision for the city,” says Szakos.

Brown also plans to relax and regain his voice before canvassing over the summer and coordinating his campaign with the Party. “I’d like to compare those ideas with things I’d like to do and come up with a game plan,” he says.
 
Norris, meanwhile, doesn’t expect “a lot of real intense campaigning over the summer. But obviously, I’m going to get started pretty soon pulling together a general election strategy.” That strategy will depend on which Republicans or Independents enter the race and how closely the Democratic Party aligns local campaigns with campaigns for governor and General Assembly.

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Plans to convert the Blue Ridge Tunnel into a hiking trail through Afton Mountain may have gotten a boost April 3, when Representative Tom Perriello asked the House Appropriations Committee to earmark $4.36 million for the project in fiscal year 2010.

Nelson County acquired the railroad tunnel from CSX Corporation in fall 2001. When Perriello solicited ideas for projects from his district, Nelson County put forth the rail-to-trail conversion. Perriello forwarded that request with 50 others, from broadband access to education and upgrading the water infrastructure. Perriello’s press secretary Jessica Barba explained, “Counties made their priorities clear to the Congressman, and he made them clear to the Appropriations Committee. He focused on projects that would create or attract jobs to the area.” The Blue Ridge Tunnel trail would do that and draw tourists by linking the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway with trails planned from Staunton to Charlottesville.

The tunnel first boosted Virginia’s economy when it opened April 13, 1858, connecting the Ohio River valley with eastern seaports. Nearly 4,300 feet long, the tunnel was the world’s longest at the time.
 
The American Society of Civil Engineers designated the tunnel a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1976 because it “represents the culmination of civil engineering technology based on manual drilling methods.” Stated less genteelly, Irish workers hand-drilled or chiseled holes into the granite, poured in black powder (dynamite had yet to be invented), and backed off. They then carted off the debris, often with the help of leased slaves, shored up the ceiling, and kept digging—for seven years.

Work slowed for accidental explosions, rockslides, skirmishes between Catholics and Protestants, strikes, and cholera. Local historian William Middleton notes that the two ends of the tunnel approached each other at an average rate of 26.5 feet per month and a cost of $114 per foot. In contrast, the parallel tunnel that replaced the Blue Ridge Tunnel proceeded at one foot per hour from 1942-44.

Without Claudius Crozet, however, the tunnel would have gone nowhere. Crozet left Napoleon’s army after Waterloo and taught at West Point. He hoped to join the University of Virginia faculty in 1823, except construction wasn’t finished yet on the school. Crozet, likely with Jefferson’s help, was instead appointed principal engineer of the Virginia Board of Public Works.

One of four tunnels on the Blue Ridge Railroad, Crozet’s masterpiece sloped slightly so water would drain to the east while smoke from the trains would rise out the west. During construction, though, smoke and water accumulated in the middle. Crozet designed a ventilation system for the gases and also made the world’s longest drainpipe, a cast iron brute 2,000 feet long. Spiting bets that the two ends of Crozet’s endeavor would never meet, the bores that broke through from opposite sides on Christmas Day, 1856, were less than an inch apart.

The tunnel served several railroads, including the C&O, as well as Stonewall Jackson, who marched his troops through it. Plans to store natural gas in the decommissioned tunnel led to the construction of internal concrete walls and pipes in the 1950s, but the project went no further. The tunnel has since attracted bats, water, rugged explorers, and local partiers.

Trail supporters would change that. According to Maureen Kelley, Director of Nelson County’s Economic Development and Tourism, construction can begin within 6 months of receiving funding. About $2 million would go first toward engineering assessments and stabilizing the rocks and replacing or repairing bricks lining sections of the tunnel. After that, trails could follow. A nonprofit organization has already been created to oversee the work, which could proceed in phases if needed.

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