To date, local authorities have been more comfortable building highways through public parks (land banks) than through private property.
Category: Charlottesville
M-Cello 4th +1
pond
Politics in our ten square mile pond is fascinating. In the big water, state, national, there is a money at play. But in the little pond, it’s about vision, quality of life, having principals and living by them, wanting to make your home better.
But the little water, it boils faster, it freezes faster, it can go from clear to turbid in an instant.
How many people will announce for the three seats on Charlottesville City Council up for grabs? I’ve been asking. One respondent said “I will try to think of a number high enough”.
Lots of choices.
(Pictured above, Kathy Galvin announcing her candidacy May 18, 2011. Charlottesville tomorrow has the story and the audio.
ride of silence
A second ride of silence took place in CHO yesterday. This is a worldwide event held every year, 3rd Wednesday in May, beginning in 2003. Locally the event is organized by cyclist Alan Bewley.
More information is available at the official ride of silence website. The ride highlights the fact that our roads are shared public spaces that are not shared very well. The ride honors, and provides a prolonged moment of meditation/contemplation for cyclists killed in the streets.
The rolling police protection which accompanied the 80+ riders through the streets of CHO Wednesday affords a level of safety missing for cyclists most days.
Mayor Dave Norris, after the ride with event organizer Alan Bewley.
Some of the riders…
Ian Ayers’ video of the event.
Peter Norton and Coy Barefoot talk about the streets.
Critical slopes
Charlottesville Planning Commission and City Council have a joint public hearing tomorrow night regarding updating the Critical Slopes ordinance. A unique opportunity for members of the public (Developers and residents) to weigh in on what our City will look like ten years down the road.
If you are a player of meeting bingo, the sustainability box will be filled in early.
time machine
Capra aegagrus hircus
Nigerian miniature goats Zinnia and Ella.
C-Ville has the story.
Arbor Day
“A society grows great when old people plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Members of the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, the Charlottesville Tree Commission, Charlottesville Parks and Recreation and Mia the Dog planted a quercus bicolor in Tonsler Park this morning celebrating Arbor Day.
Martha Warring, forester with the VDOF addressed the assembly, marking Charlottesville’s 5th year as a “tree-city”, a citation granted by the Arbor Day Foundation.
Trees start small, they get big. This quercus falcata (Southern Red Oak) is located in the City’s Oakwood Cemetery.
If you have a tree you’d like to nominate for the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards “treasured tree” program contact them.
South of the Tracks
Sec. 10-71. Duty to retain or establish stream buffer.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, any land adjacent to the following listed waters, shall provide buffers for the purposes of retarding runoff, preventing erosion, and filtering nonpoint source pollution from runoff:
(1) Rivanna River;
(2) Moore’s Creek;
(3) Meadow Creek.
(b) A required stream buffer shall be no less than one hundred (100) feet wide on each side of the stream, which buffer
shall be measured horizontally from the top of the stream bank.–CHO Minicode
North of the tracks we are spending millions to restore Meadow Creek. South of the tracks, on Moore’s Creek, the poor man’s creek, is there a mitigation plan, any plan? Put in the new sewer pipe, grind up the trees. That is that?
La France Cleaners
“A governing body knows everything that goes into its legislative decisions whether it actually knows it or not.”