Charlottesville was established as a gridded town plan from the start. Dr. Thomas Walker was assigned by the County as Trustee, and a two acre public square was set aside for the courthouse at the northern edge of the fifty acre town. The site for the courthouse was selected on a hillside directly above the gridded village, several blocks above Three Notch’d Road or the main street of town. Over time, business activities around the Court Square included taverns, tailors, milliners, a printing shop, a gunsmith, and a jeweler. A portion of the original courthouse (1803) still stands as a part of the current complex of structures. The original twenty-eight block grid corresponds to the following existing streets: Sixth and McIntire on the east and west respectively, Jefferson and South on the north and south. A plan from 1818 indicated east/west streets as 66 feet in width, while north/south streets as 33 feet wide; this plan also indicated a two block by seven block annexation added directly to the north of the original grid.– Ken Schwartz
Category: Charlottesville
downtown mall
Look3
on the job
Information on the Charlottesville Police ride along program available here.
le chien
cat food
Without the introduction of the cat control law this little one is dead meat.
Cat at Large No cat shall run at large within the City of Charlottesville and are required to be on a leash.
No owner of a cat shall allow the animal to defecate on public or private land other than his own. Where an animal does defecate on its property the owner of the animal shall regularly clean and sanitize the area and remove all excreta.
seasonal migration
Humans have a highly developed brain and are capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving. This mental capability, combined with an erect body carriage that frees the hands for manipulating objects, has allowed humans to make far greater use of tools than any other living species on Earth.–Wikipedia
(UVA’s finals exercises this weekend. Walking erect, smart phones in hand, they leave. We are all so sad.)
westing
Cyclists participate in the “Ride of Silence”. A slow quiet ride through the streets of Charlottesville and 323 other cities, a rolling meditation, remembering bikers killed in crashes with motor vehicles.
May 14 the City of Charlottesville was granted silver status as a bicycle friendly community.
sod it
One hears about road devolution, unfunded mandates and reductions in force. Insufficient funds at the state level. Why is there enough money for sod as University of Virginia beautifies for finals exercises this weekend.
Why not grass seed and straw in a time of austerity?
The cost of installing a lawn does vary depending upon how much work a homeowner is willing to do himself. It also depends upon the market. Price of sod can run between $0.50-$1.00 per square foot, with installation running between $150 and $300 per pallet. Grass seed costs about $0.01 per square foot. Installation varies widely depending upon the method used. Seed can be spread with rotary spreaders, or can be blown out of a hose with a material that keeps it in place. The cost of professional seeding is much lower than sodding, as it is less labor-intensive, and requires less energy to transport the materials.–lawncare.net
Arbor Day
Charlottesville schoolchildren measure the circumference of Quercus alba at Forest Hills Park.
The Tree Stewards stressed that this tree is a survivor. Its life recently hasn’t been easy. It’s under professional care. Time will tell.
There is a saying about oaks, something to the effect of :
“They spend 100 years growing, 100 years thriving and 100 years dying.”
No telling how old these trees are. They were located on the woodland of the James Fife’s farm “Oak Lawn”. Thanks to the Fife folk for seeing beyond the timber value of these trees.
One of my few regrets in life is that I didn’t start planting trees earlier. Maybe these people will grow up without that regret.
Is there space for trees in Charlottesville? Do “ecosystem services” matter? These issues are under discussion by the Planning Commission and the City Council. Now there is a Tree Commission in the mix.