Category: Charlottesville

elected mayor?

before the selection
Former CHO City Manager Maurice Jones and Ms. Nikuyah Walker, January 2, 2018
media in the background
I can’t remember the first time I saw a sign in Council Chambers. It is a common practice these days.
There has been talk recently by Council regarding amending the City Charter for various purposes. Evidently, Charter amendments require legislative approval. Charlottesville City Attorney recommends putting together a package to do some housekeeping. Some of the language in the Charter seems decidedly antiquated.

Twelfth. Use of streets; abuse of animals. Insofar as not prohibited by general law, to prevent the riding or driving of animals at improper speed, to regulate the speed and manner of use upon the streets of said city of all animals or vehicles; to prevent the flying of kites, throwing of stones, or the engaging in any employment or sport in the streets or public alleys, dangerous or annoying to the public, and to prohibit and punish the abuse of animals.

Thirteenth. Drunkards, vagrants and beggars. To restrain and punish drunkards, vagrants, mendicants and street beggars.

Fourteenth. Offenses generally. To prevent vice and immorality; to preserve public peace and good order; to prevent and quell riots; disturbances and disorderly assemblages; to suppress houses of ill fame, and gaming houses; to prevent lewd, indecent or disorderly conduct or exhibitions in the city, and to expel from said city persons guilty of such conduct.

Corridor Plan

Last Friday the Rivanna River Basin Commission held a conference for Community leaders, local government officials, developers, builders, financial investors, conservation and environmental organization personnel, and the public-at-large.
The idea is to educate and encourage the leadership and the electorate so we pursue
“Develop(ing) a Corridor Plan to guide decision making related to preservation and use of the Rivanna River.”

From the county side:
Three of the Supervisors were on hand (A.Mallek, L. Palmer, N. Dill) + one planning commissioner (T. Keller)
From the City side
no Councilors or Planning Commissioners.
Disappointing!

Second phase of drafting Rivanna River Corridor Plan begins–Charlottesville Tomorrow–Emily Hays

Water Street

Central Place CHO DT Mall
I passed through Charlottesville Downtown 8/12/18 on the anniversary of the 2017 calamity. The mall was quiet.
list of prohibited items
There were no swords or soda cans. People had migrated south of the Mall to 4th Street to mourn Heather Heyer.
barricade
Lots of folk on Fourth and Water Streets. Not immediately clear what was up. What were the rules? What was the dance? Who should lead off?
crowd @4th and water
It felt like a standoff. Citizens were questioning the garb of the authorities. The authorities weren’t saying much. There was a bit of tension, a question in the air.
bearcat
Some people were shouting obscenities. Some people were holding their breath. Some people were thinking.
.
There were a three members of City Council on hand.
Councilors Bellamy and Hill…
and Mayor Nikayuh Walker
The Councilors did some good talking, reached out to City management and to law enforcement. No blows fell.
The rain came down.
And everyone went home.

the dome and the blue tarp

Domes have been found from early Mesopotamia, which may explain the form’s spread. They are found in Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Chinese architecture in the Ancient world, as well as among a number of contemporary indigenous building traditions. Dome structures were popular in Byzantine and medieval Islamic architecture, and there are numerous examples from Western Europe in the Middle Ages. The Renaissance architectural style spread from Italy in the Early modern period. Advancements in mathematics, materials, and production techniques since that time resulted in new dome types. The domes of the modern world can be found over religious buildings, legislative chambers, sports stadiums, and a variety of functional structures.–Wikipedia
Rotunda, Homer, blue tarp
with the color…