Crozet's community blog
At the suggestion of a reader, I am going to open up the Crozet community map to everybody to edit. Add your favorite business, restaurant, etc.
As much as I would like to put the login and password online, I don’t think that would be the best idea in the world. So, please email me if you are interested. This could become a great local resource if people participate.
Update 11/18/2006: I have made the map a permanent page at the top of this site.
In Crozet this afternoon, I passed an NBC29 news crew doing a story on sexual offenders. They happened to be filming at a vacant lot on Hilltop Street, where this gentleman is registered to live. Huh. A vacant lot. There is no tent. So where is he? And how accurate is the Commonwealth’s database? Knowing where these folks are is important. Kudos to 29 for doing this upcoming three part series.
I was discussing this several weeks ago with fellow Crozetians and parents; it’s good to see “main stream media” taking this on.
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From Sunday’s Crozet Community Association email:
At the CCA meeting Thursday, the following officers were elected for next year:; President, David Wayland;; Vice President, Heidi Sonen;; Secretary, Judy Burbes; Treasurer, Emery Taylor.;
At the meeting we heard a report from Jack Marshall from Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP).; He invited the CCA to endorse their amendment to the Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan, an amendment calling for the Board of Supervisors to define our area’s Sustainable Optimal Population size.; Detailed information on this amendment can be found on ASAP’s website www.stopgrowthasap.org; Members of CCA will be asked at our January 11th meeting to vote on endorsing ASAP’s position
What do you think about this proposal? Is it a viable option? Would Crozetians support such a proposal? What is our “optimal size”? Practically, how might we limit that population? If we reach X population threshold – what happens then?
Rather than link to their Word document, I have provided their Comprehensive Plan Amendment here as a PDF.
Learn more about our new neighbors today and tomorrow at Wickham Pond. See attached flyer for more information.
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Crozet Resident Carrie Miller is actively arranging publicity and logistics for the Epilepsy Awareness Stroll. The Stroll will take place on November 12 at noon in the UVA Park behind the JAG school near Arlington Blvd. Carrie has a daughter with epilepsy who is four years old and two other special needs children. Carrie‘s remarkable daughter Emmalyn has epilepsy and kidney problems. Such problems mean extended stays at hospitals, missed preschool, difficulty making friends and the loss of financial resources. Especially the epilepsy has been hard on the whole family.
The stress on Carrie’s family corresponds with most studies on parents of children with seizures. Most studies confirm that parents experience major stress and that the disruption in family life is considered much higher than with other common child hood disorders such as asthma or diabetes. Parents are aware of the possibilities of injuries (in a major study of 5000 persons with epilepsy, 83% of those with one or more seizure during the last year reported some kind of injury), academic problems and a much lower employment rate than the general population. However children whose parents accept epilepsy and do not overprotect do much better in school and in the workplace. The Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia has a summer camp and family fun days to help foster the independence of children with epilepsy. Carrie Miller and her family are a wonderful example. Carrie’s motto is “better a broken arm than a broken heart.â€
*Story courtesy of Suzanne Bischoff, Ph.D., Executive Director – Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia
John Murphy, a stream biologist and Director of the StreamWatch program, will be the featured speaker at the next open meeting of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP). The title of his talk is: “Correlates of Biological Conditions of Streams & Rivers of the Rivanna Basin.” The meeting begins at 7:30PM, November 16, in the library of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 190 Rugby Rd., Charlottesville. Free & open to the public. Contact 996-1545 or visit www.ASAPnow.org.
I do not yet know. I do know that I missed the Site Review comment meeting yesterday, am going to try to make the Site Review Committee meeting date tomorrow (10 am)
Did anybody make the meeting yesterday? If so, what came of it?
See the attached letter (PDF) from the County received by adjoining landowners.
Charlottesville Tomorrow noted in March that Foothill Crossing was “indefinitely deferred.” (also on Albemarle’s site)
Google on Foothill Crossing
We’ll see …Â hopefully I am not jumping to conclusions just because I live in an adjoining development that would be impacted.
Hat Tip to Katrien for her vigilance.
Update 11-4-06: The DP has an article on this development.
Technorati Tags: crozet, growth, growth area, master plan, real estate
The library will be Downtown. Thanks to Jeremy Borden with the DP:
Board members said neither site would please everyone, but they all had their own reasons for wanting the site downtown.
Now … is that house historic?
And … also from the DP:
School Board member Brian Wheeler said that in the Crozet Master Plan, the new elementary school’s cost is listed at $12.4 million. According to the school division’s long-range planning committee estimations, it will cost $29 million if construction started in 2017, the year planned. This figure does not reflect the cost of acquiring land for the school, Wheeler noted.
Update 11-04-06: Cvillenews has a story. All stories on the library.
About one hundred and fifty people attended this past Wednesday’s Library meeting at Western Albemarle High School. Supervisor David Wyant opened the meeting with the sweeping statement that “The library today involves the internet.”
The lead architect’s presentation was highlighted in part by her seeming un-awareness of the political environment in Crozet. A few of the notable laugh lines were:
– a slide noting how a great library can jump-start development
– her response to a question regarding when “new” Main Street will be built
– her noting that all the sidewalks, benches, light posts, etc. Crozetians have been promised for years would be part of the implementation plan
– her noting that there have been a few studies regarding the building of a new Crozet library. (since 1987!!!) No one can say that Albemarle has not done their due diligence.
In all seriousness, the meeting was informative, enlightening and about 45 minutes behind schedule. I look forward to the follow up meetings.
These are the major observations and questions I left with –
– Regarding the Downtown Location (Site Option #3 -pdf) – what is the historic value of the property? At what point will this issue be put to bed and not be a component of the equation that could derail the entire project?
– There were surprisingly few young people (25-35 years old) in attendance. One would think that more would be interested as they will benefit greatly from a state of the art library, particularly because of the library’s intended focus on children and teens.– A general (library) rule of thumb is that when a library reaches a checkout rate of 25 books per square foot, it is time to start looking for a new home. Crozet’s checkout rate is 64 books per square foot. Clearly, the time is right for a new library.
– Nothing is more enlightening than a Power Point presentation.
– The architects (Grimm and Parker) are planning an additional half-dozen or so public meetings.
– Will the library offer free wireless to their surroundings?
– I was impressed and happy to see and hear that the architects intend to build with green, sustainable concepts.
– An idea for future meetings – distribute (and market) the pertinent materials before-hand.
My vote: The Downtown Location.
Albemarle’s Crozet Library Page.
NB:
– as always, County Staff showed their tireless dedication. We owe them some real thanks.
– one of the more challenging aspects of so-called “citizen journalism” is the whole “not getting paid to do this part.” 🙂
