By. Neil Williamson, President

Albemarle County has scheduled their zoning fee increase public hearing  to allow the current lame duck Board of Supervisors vote on the proposal on December 2, 2009.  The Board has already seen the fee increases as they included the numbers in their resolution of intent several months ago.

Despite our research and our direct testimony at the Planning Commission, the Free Enterprise Forum still has fundamental issues with both the timing and the concept of fixing the process by fixing the fees (with an automatic escalator).  We fear this puts too much emphasis on the fee increase side of the equation and provides no mechanism nor incentive for achieving departmental efficiency.  In addition, we have called for the implementation of these fees to be postponed until at least January 1, 2011.

Recent media accounts support our position.

In a November 13th editorial, The Daily Progress highlighted potential cuts to help alleviate the largest cost component to the fees, salaries:

Meanwhile, raising revenue addresses just one side of the equation. The other must be considered: Reducing county costs so that there is less reason to “need” fee hikes.

This can be done in two ways.

Some critics claim that the planning and development department is overstaffed, especially now that building permit requests have fallen due to the economic downturn. We know that the county has reduced some staffing levels through attrition and reassignment. Although we are not prepared at this time to say uncategorically that this department or any other needs to be trimmed still further, we do think the county should further consider this cost-cutting technique.

The county might be able to cut staff if it made its system less cumbersome. Rezoning and building procedures are so protracted and unpredictable that they add unnecessary burdens to the approval process. Of course, procedures should continue to safeguard the environment and the taxpayer, but streamlining the system would benefit everyone in time and money saved.

In a recent Letter to the Editor of The Daily Progress, Cecil Witt raised a number of concerns including the staffing levels of county inspections:

In the first half of 2002, there were 855 single-family home permits issued, with a staff of 15 employees. In the first half of ’08, there were 266 SFH permits issued, still with a staff of 15. In the first half of ’09 there were 155 SFH permits issued, still again with 15 employees on payroll. These numbers are taken from reports from the county.

Most interestingly, the City of Richmond raised fees in 2007 in order to produce an improvement in service.  A recent City audit (53 page PDF) found the cost justification faulty and questioned any resulting improvement in service.  Will Jones of The Richmond Times Dispatch has the story.

A 15.5 percent increase in Richmond’s construction permit fees may have been unnecessary, and it has failed to produce the promised improvements in inspection services, according to the city auditor. . .

The report is recommending that administration officials review the city’s costs to issue permits and conduct inspections, and to adjust its fees accordingly.

Albemarle County’s proposed zoning fees have an automatic escalator based on merit pay increases.  Understandably, labor is the largest component of the cost.  What if the fees also included a quadrennial outside audit of the fee schedule? 

Such an audit would clearly fall under the best practices Albemarle has touted in the past.  An audit, if done correctly, might expose the huge waste that is mandated not by code but by over zealous Albemarle County planning procedures.

The proposed fees (as advertised in this morning’s paper) include:

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 Neil Williamson is the President of The Free Enterprise Forum, a public policy organization covering the City of Charlottesville as well as Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna and Nelson County.  For more information visit the website www.freeenterpriseforum.org

Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities at JABA

• Community Centers & ACC (Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson: Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Activities with Seniors, Special Programs

• Health/Nutrition: Food Bag Program, Home Delivered Meals, Congregate Meals

• Companionship/Outreach: Friendly Visiting, Phone Buddy, Ombudsman, Medicare Counseling, Transportation, Pet Therapy, Home Repairs

• Building Community: Admin/Office Help, Grant Writing, Special Events, Thrift Store, Planning & Development, Community Partnerships, Food Initiatives, Housing Initiatives, Health Programs, Disaster Preparedness, Public Policy Advocate, Volunteer Leadership

• Intergenerational: Recreation Programs, Tutoring (FISH), Special Projects

JABA’s Volunteer Services Department gives you the opportunity to become a humanitarian in your own backyard!

November Volunteer Flyer (PDF)

Contact
Martha Williams
434-817-5245
mwilliams@jabacares.org

Why not make exercise fun?  This cooler fall season is a great time for some brisk walking, and the Charlottesville Downtown Mall is a great location. Holiday decorations and gifts galore! And remember, the City Market season has been extended and  it is morphing into the Holiday Market this year.

Here are some reasons to get out and mingle with the holiday crowds downtown:

Aerobic Activity Fights Aging, Extends Independence

Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter – JULY 2008
A brisk walk may not exactly lead you to the fountain of youth—but a new research review suggests it’s a good start.

According to the report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, vigorous walking for about an hour a day, five times a week, can boost your maximal oxygen intake by as much as 25% within just three months. That’s enough to turn back the clock on 12 years of natural decline with aging. For seniors, it could also add a dozen years of functional independence.

Roy Shephard, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto reviewed 30 studies of subjects age 64 and older published since 1990. He focused on research showing the relationship between aerobic activity, aging and maximal oxygen intake, known as VO2max.

One of the oldest measures of fitness and human performance, VO2max gauges the body’s ability to consume oxygen when you’re exercising your hardest. It depends on the blood-pumping power of your heart, the ability of your blood to carry oxygen, your muscle level and the ability of your muscles to use oxygen. The higher your VO2max—as expressed in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/[kg.min])—the better your body can perform over extended periods of activity. Marathon runners have been measured at VO2max values of 80 ml/[kg.min] and above; the average 40-year-old man with no endurance training might score 35-40 ml/[kg.min], with women averaging about 5 points lower.

With age, according to Dr. Shephard, the body tends to lose about 5 ml/[kg.min] in VO2max per decade. As VO2max drops over the years, the amount of activity you can do without getting fatigued declines, too. Once VO2max drops below 18 ml/[kg.min] for men and 15 for women, a person is likely to lose functional independence.

But Dr. Shephard found that aerobic activity such as vigorous walking can not only slow but reverse that decline. And the longer you keep at it, the greater the gains in turning back the hands of time—at least in terms of your body’s oxygen capacity. In an 8-10-week training program, the review found an average VO2max improvement of 12.9%; over 12-18 weeks, the gain averaged 14.1%; with 24-52 weeks of training, VO2max improved an average of 16.9%.

Working harder also pays dividends. The studies that tested a high-intensity regimen recorded VO2max boosts of 25%, an increase of 6 ml/[kg.min]. Since 10 years’ aging naturally takes a toll of about 5 ml/[kg.min], that represents the equivalent of gaining back 12 years of youthful vigor.

In looking at the link between VO2max and functional independence, Dr. Shephard speculated that aerobic fitness may indirectly extend independence by combating other conditions that can take a toll on a person’s ability to live unassisted. These include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and even some forms of cancer. Exercise can also build muscle power to help prevent debilitating falls, as well as speeding recovery from injuries.

“There seems good evidence that the conservation of maximal oxygen intake increases the likelihood that the healthy elderly person will retain functional independence,” Dr. Shephard concluded.

He might have added: What are you waiting for? The clock is ticking, but vigorous activity can determine how fast—and even in which direction—the hands of time move for your body.

TO LEARN MORE: British Journal of Sports Medicine, online before print; abstract at dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2007.044800. Physical Activity for Everyone, www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/everyone. National Institute on Aging: Getting Fit for Life www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/exercise.htm.

via Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter.

These are some of the volunteer opportunities for 2009. Please review the descriptions below and fill in the following form with your preferences. We will do our best to match you to your desired position, but please be flexible.   Please email us with specific questions.

Fill out the Volunteer Form here.

Fashion Square Mall Greeters – Greet cars and collect toys from the drive-up lanes.
Collection Tent -
Count, Sort & Box toys to be shipped to the Distribution Center.
Site Runners – Run errands and messages on and off site (must have a car)

Distribution Center aka Toy Land:

Sorters – Unload toys sent from the site and sort out into categories at the warehouse.
Wish List Searchers – Search for specific items that are tagged for specific children.
Wish List Sorters – Organize the items tagged for specific children into school groups.
Food runners – Pick up food donations and bring them back to the warehouse.
Food servers- Set up and serve food to Volunteers.
Volunteer greeter- (must be able to do at least 4 hour shifts) Direct volunteers where to check in and hand out name tags.
Saturday/Sunday, Dec 5th & 6th: Distribution Center aka Toy Land

Checkers – Verify boxes for each family and mark as complete or not.
Packers – Build, Seal, & label boxes for each family.
Shipping – Load trucks with boxes to be shipped out to the schools.
Wish List – Retrieve wish list items for each child to be added to boxes.
Volunteer greeter- (must be able to do at least 4 hour shifts) Direct volunteers where to check in and hand out name tags.

By. Neil Williamson, President

There are times a picture is worth a thousand words. 

The chart above was a part of Albemarle County Planning Commission’s work session last night (11/17).  With a stated goal of streamlining the review of Architectural Review Board Applications (ARB), this chart (page 49 in the staff report) documents the significant hurdles each and every ARB application must face. 

The Albemarle County website outlines power of the ARB over properties located on Albemarle’s 21 Entrance Corridors.   

The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board (ARB) is appointed by the Board of Supervisors and is charged with the responsibility of regulating the design of development within the County’s Entrance Corridors. The goal of this regulation is to ensure that new development in these corridors reflects the traditional architecture of the area and that development within the corridors is orderly and attractive.

WHICH PROJECTS MUST BE REVIEWED?

Proposed development projects must be reviewed by the ARB if they are located upon parcels within a designated Entrance Corridor (EC) and if:

• The project requires County approval of a site plan or approval of an amendment to a site plan before development can begin (generally only commercial, industrial, or multi-family development projects are required to have a site plan), or
• The project requires a building permit (for commercial, industrial, or multi-family developments) before development can begin, or
• The project requires a special permit from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors because it involves outdoor storage or display within an Entrance Corridor, or
• The project requires a special permit, rezoning, or comprehensive plan amendment and a request has been made for advice from the ARB.

The Free Enterprise Forum has raised concerns over the years at the proliferation of “entrance corridors”.  Perhaps by dropping the number of roads designated as entrance corridor, the process could be improved? 

The Free Enterprise Forum asks if Albemarle County (and applicants) are receiving value equal to the cost of the ARB review (both in fees and associated costs).

The chart speaks for itself.  The process review will go to Planning Commission public hearing on December 15, 2009.

A PDF of the chart is available at the following link:  arbflowchart.

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 Neil Williamson is the President of The Free Enterprise Forum, a public policy organization covering the City of Charlottesville as well as Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna and Nelson County.  For more information visit the website www.freeenterpriseforum.org

We are so fortunate to have many, many opportunities for lifelong learning right here in the Charlottesville area!

As I read through the post quoted below I thought about my venture into blogging for seniors.  Since I have an IT/Web background, I volunteered to sponsor an after-school computer club at Jackson-Via Elementary School.  Having read about the value of blogging for teaching reflective writing, I decided to focus on blogging.  To learn more about blogs, I took an excellent class on blogging by Kristen King at the Writer House in January 2009.

After that introduction to blogging and to  WordPress, I plunged right in.  When I realized that one blog with so many different subjects did not make sense, I split up my efforts into two for senior citizens in C’ville ( Live & Learn! and Be SMART), one for JABA-FISH volunteers at Jackson-Via, and several for students and teachers at Jackson-Via including the blog produced by the Jackson-Via Computer Club.  What fun –and I plan to continue this for many years to come!

I have taken those 10 steps mentioned below right here in Charlottesville, and you can too.  There are many opportunities for face-to-face classes.  besides those at WriterHouse, you might be interested in the classes at  OLLI at the University of Virginia, at the Senior Center, or perhaps some cooking classes offered through JABA or Club Red.

And don’t forget that you can learn as much (and sometimes much more) through volunteering for projects.  I am convinced that project-based learning is the most effective as well as the most enjoyable way to learn new things.

The post below, however, offers a new and interesting idea for lifelong learning – TeachStreet, an exchange between people who want to learn something and those who want to teach something.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a barter system here in Charlottesville for people to exchange hours of teaching for hours of learning or vice versa?

10 Steps to Life Long Learning

November 13th, 2009 by lily

Throughout our lives we are continuously learning new things – and forgetting old things. While it is almost impossible to not learn something new everyday, there are certain ways that one can proactively learn new things and continue to grow in many aspects – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  Below is a list of 10 steps to lifelong learning. This is not a “must do” list or is in anyway set in stone, but is more of a guidance or suggestion list of things one can do to continuously learn something new and discover unknown worlds of possibilities.

1. Read – everyday. Reading is one of things you can do anywhere  – a book can fit in any size purse, briefcase or sometimes right in a back pocket.  Also, it is easy to read something everyday that interests you – politics, news, novels, the new diet fad – anything that gets you reading is worth the time.

2. Keep a “To-Learn” List. This is different from a “To Do” list. Instead, this is a list of things at some point in your life you want to learn or try. Some items can be  life changing while others can be something small, but fun. The point is to start writing them down, and then begin crossing items off the list. A good list is one that is continuously having items crossed off and new items added on.

3. Try New Things. Try things outside of your comfort or knowledge zone. Doing something that seems completely in left field to you means exploring unknown worlds and could lead to unexpected possibilities and outcomes. This one is more about putting aside all fears, and going for it – you never what could happen.

4. Play. Have fun, and enjoy yourself. Just like laughter is some of the best medicine, having fun and playing around adds to the learning experience.

5. Start a Project. Find something you have always wanted to try or create ( it can be from your “To-Learn” list), and start doing it. Add time to your weekly schedule to focus only on your project, and see it through to the end. By the time you  finish you would have learned a whole set of new skills and knowledge, and will have something you can be proud of and show off to friends and family afterward.

6. Challenge yourself. This is important – challenges add knowledge and keep things interesting. Try learning something that challenges you either physically, mentally or emotionally- and keep at it. Keep yourself motivated to overcome the challenge, and when it’s over you will have learned new skills and new things about yourself.

7. Meet New people. Not all knowledge is found in books, in fact some of the most interesting things come straight from the minds of our friends and family. Just imagine the world of possibilities each new acquaintance or friend could hold. People love to share their knowledge, so tap into the possibilities and see what others have to offer and what you can offer in return.

8. Teach Others. It’s pretty easy to read a book on knitting, but putting your knowledge into action is one of the best ways to learn what you know and pass it on to others.  Not to mention that teaching is fun! Try teaching a couple of friends or family members, start a blog (like this one), or join TeachStreet as a Teacher!

9. Reflection. So you have learned some new things, maybe have read something profound or took a class by an amazing teacher who showed you a completely new world. Spend some time digesting  and soaking in this new information through meditation, journaling or having an in-depth conversation with a friend or family member.

10. Never Stop. This might be last, but its very important. Always continue to grow and learn, there is never a reason or excuse good enough for stopping.

via 10 Steps to Life Long Learning | TeachStreet Blog.

Superior Ride

Let’s face it, the most important factor in your enjoyment and safety on the open sea is the design and construction of the hull, and there is simply no other sportfishing boat in our category that can favorably compare to the durability, strength, ruggedness and especially the ride of an Albemarle.

Albemarles are built on the foundation of the legendary Carolina hull, with its dramatic deadrise and elegant bow flare and have been evolving through decades of input from top naval architects. We have created a boat that is now legendary for its ability to take on even the most brutal head seas with comfort and confidence, track effortlessly in following or breaking seas and deliver a steady, stable platform whether trolling in the gulf stream or cruising with your family on the bay.

But just as important as the smooth, dry ride of an Albemarle, are the incredible lengths we go through to hand-build incredibly strong and safe hulls.….Continue reading

For anger management classes in North Carolina visit www.masteringanger.com or call 704-804-0841.

November 11, 2:00 pm
Doubletree Hotel
Elinor Ginzler, Senior Vice President for Livable Communities, AARP

Elinor Ginzler, a national expert on independent living for seniors, will discuss the elements of a livable community and the critical relationship between those elements and the ability to age successfully.

The lecture will include a discussion on the inter-generational benefits of these elements and the importance of connectivity. Ginzler will highlight some of AARP’scurrent work on mobility and housing.

via Institute on Aging, University of Virginia.

Cosponsors are JABA and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Reception to follow. Lecture and parking are free. Only preregistration is required. Please e-mail or call (434) 243-5695. Online registration available at Institute on Aging website.

By. Neil Williamson, President

In Wednesday’s (11/4) Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting, there was an exchange between supervisors regarding the potential funding of The Hatton Ferry Project in Scottsville.  After going back and forth one supervisor suggested the funds requested for the Hatton Ferry come out of the Acquisition of Conservation Easement (ACE) Program. 

It is a little known fact that since its inception the ACE program receives in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from the Transient Occupancy (hotel) tax.  

That’s right, every time a traveler chooses to rest their head on a hotel/motel/campground  pillow in Albemarle County a portion of their transit occupancy tax goes to fund county government purchasing development rights.

The occupancy tax was developed by the General Assembly for promotion of tourism and is limited by Virginia State Code regarding the use of these funds:

§ 58.1-3819. Transient occupancy tax.

A. Any county, by duly adopted ordinance, may levy a transient occupancy tax on hotels, motels, boarding houses, travel campgrounds, and other facilities offering guest rooms rented out for continuous occupancy for fewer than 30 consecutive days. Such tax shall be in such amount and on such terms as the governing body may, by ordinance, prescribe. Such tax shall not exceed two percent of the amount of charge for the occupancy of any room or space occupied; however . . .  Albemarle County, Nelson County, Mecklenburg County, Gloucester County, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, Loudoun County, Bedford County, Cumberland County, Floyd County, King George County, Wise County, Botetourt County, Prince Edward County, Rockbridge County, Caroline County, Dinwiddie County, Page County, Wythe County, James City County, Franklin County, Tazewell County, Augusta County, Prince William County, Craig County, Prince George County, Patrick County, Pulaski County, Halifax County, Montgomery County, Carroll County, Northampton County, Amherst County, Giles County, Smyth County, and Greene County may levy a transient occupancy tax not to exceed five percent, and any excess over two percent shall be designated and spent solely for tourism and travel, marketing of tourism or initiatives that, as determined after consultation with the local tourism industry organizations, including representatives of lodging properties located in the county, attract travelers to the locality, increase occupancy at lodging properties, and generate tourism revenues in the locality. (emphasis added – nw)

The justification for this spending has been that tourists come to Albemarle County to see the wide vistas and open space.  Further,  parcels that have utilized occupancy tax dollars have been “highly desireable”  tourist oriented parcels.

The Free Enterprise Forum sees this legal nexus as tenuous at best.  It could be argued tourist come to Albemarle County because of its rich history, safe streets or the connection to Monticello none of these items are funded from the transit occupancy tax. 

The Free Enterprise Forum believes tourism is one of the cleanest and efficient forms of economic development in Albemarle County.  The Virginia Tourism Corporation commissioned a study in 2009 that found on the state level:

Every $1 Virginia invests in tourism marketing generates $5 in tax revenue for the Commonwealth. That’s a 5:1 return on investment.

What has been the calculated rate of return on investment of the transient occupancy tax dollars siphoned off for the ACE program?

Why shouldn’t this targeted tax collection be spent generating new business for our local tourism industry who collected the tax in the first place?

If Albemarle County is truly committed to tourism, it should reexamine the funding of ACE from the transient occupancy tax.

Osher Institute Conferences

Visit the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute National Resource Center to view a slide show of photos and to download PowerPoint presentations  from the 6th National Conference – October 12 -14, 2009.

Lots of great ideas!  See anyone you know?

The Canyons Grand Summit Hotel, Park City, Utah.

OLLI Conference Attendees: Biographies (pdf file)

“Building a Community of Learners” – Conference Program and Sessions (pdf)

via National Conference Presentations | Osher Lifelong Learning Institute National Resource Center.

A trip to the Charlottesville City Market can be a part of an active lifestyle, and  a healthy diet may help to keep us sharp as we age. The City Market is now open into December, and you just might pick up some healthy, locally grown veggies along with those special Christmas gifts!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the City Market had a permanent place and shelter for year-round use? You can help this become a reality at Market Central!

Below you will find more evidence that it is important to have a healthy diet:

Four Nutrients Linked to Pattern of Lower Alzheimer’s Risk.
SEPTEMBER 2009

A diet high in vegetables, nuts and fish and low in high-fat dairy products may be just the right combination to help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to findings released at an American Academy of Neurology meeting.

Researchers led by Yian Gu, PhD, of Columbia University analyzed seven nutrients thought to be related to Alzheimer’s in the diets of 2,136 healthy seniors in New York: saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate. Their goal was to identify dietary patterns that explain, as much as possible, the variation of nutrients believed to relate to Alzheimer’s disease risk.

“Because foods are not consumed in isolation, dietary patterns taking into account the interactions among food components may offer substantial advantages,” Gu and colleagues explained. Over an average follow-up of almost four years, 251 subjects developed Alzheimer’s.

A dietary pattern high in cruciferous and green-leafy vegetables, tomatoes, nuts and fish but low in red meat and high fat dairy products was associated with lower risk of Alzheimer’s.

The one-third of the subjects most closely matching this dietary pattern were 42% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those whose diets most diverged from that pattern. Even the middle group—matching the dietary pattern less closely, but better than the bottom one-third—saw a 23% lower risk of Alzheimer’s.The dietary pattern linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk was positively correlated with omega-3, omega-6, folate and vitamin E, and negatively correlated with saturated fat and vitamin B12 intakes.The B12 finding was a surprise, Gu commented, because low B12 levels are associated with dementia. Since a chief dietary source of vitamin B12 is meat, however, those consuming more B12 might also be getting lots of saturated fat.

TO LEARN MORE: American Academy of Neurology,abstract at www.abstracts2view.com/aan2009seattle/ view.php?nu=AAN09L_P09.115. Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center, 800 438-4380, www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers.
via Tufts Health Letter.

Looking for Outings in the Charlottesville area? A Day’s Outing may have just the information to help you plan a trip./

Virginia travel tale

Crabtree Falls is the most beautiful waterfall hike in Virginia, located in Nelson County and in the George Washington National Forest. It is also the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. It is a family favorite!
Cathy
via A Day’s Outing – Find Events, Family Activities, Festivals, Gardens, Museums, Travel Destinations.

For anger management classes in North Carolina visit www.masteringanger.com or call 704-804-0841.

Come shop for some great items while supporting a worthwhile cause!

JABA is having a Community Tag Sale on Sunday, October 25th, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at 674 Hillsdale Drive, Charlottesville.  All proceeds go towards programs and services at JABA’s Community Centers and Adult Care Center.  You can find clothes, jewelry, household items, baked goods, seasonal gifts and much more, so we hope to see you there.

We are looking for volunteers for the following positions.

Please contact me at 434-817-5245 or mwilliams@jabacares.org if you are interested in any of these positions:

• Lonely gentleman in Fluvanna County needs an occasional Friendly Visitor
• Home Delivered Meals Driver needed for Charlottesville client
• Front desk receptionist on Saturdays from 9-3 at JABA, 674 Hillsdale Drive, Charlottesville
• Front desk assistant any days during the week for the YMCA in Charlottesville
• Thrift shop helpers at Twice Is Nice
• Helping pack grocery bags on the third Monday of every month for JABA’s Food Bag Program

I hope you are enjoying the glorious fall foliage and, as always, thank you for all you do to brighten the lives of those in need in our community.

Martha

Martha Williams, Manager
JABA Volunteer Services
674 Hillsdale Drive, Suite 9
Charlottesville, VA  22901
434-817-5245 (p)  434-817-5230 (f)
mwilliams@jabacares.org

For information on volunteer opportunities at JABA go to
www.jabacares.org/page/full/volunteer-opportunities/

JABA’s mission is to promote, establish and preserve sustainable communities for healthy aging that benefit individuals and families of all ages.

Phyllis Back, Director of Programs, Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail has launched a new website and blog.

This jail-programs blog is sure to be another “first” for us in Charlottesville!  Some recordings from the Music and Poetry Class are already available, and more will be coming soon.  Stay tuned for announcements of events as well as information about the activities that 300+ volunteers make available to the inmates.   Perhaps you would like to volunteer some of your time?

For more information contact Ms. Back at backp@acrj.org.

Beyond the Bars Art Show

Posted on October 8th, 2009 by Phyllis Back

Show runs from October 2 – 29, 2009.

– an outsider art show featuring acrylic, watercolor, oil and abstract art made by inmates from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail

Presented by the Gallery at 5th & Water and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail

The show contains work from McGuffey Art Classes that are offered to inmates through the Programs Department at the jail.

via Beyond the Bars.

By. Neil Williamson, President

This morning’s (10/12) Daily Progress features a front page story on land use taxation by Brandon Shulleeta .  Under the banner headline “Slutzky eyes land use tax restriction”, Shulleeta writes that Mr. Slutzky “may propose major reforms”.  In our estimation the proposal outlined is better described as the repeal of land use taxation in Albemarle County.

Shulleeta reports:

Under David L. Slutzky’s idea, rural landowners would be given a choice: They could pay real-estate taxes based on the land’s fair market value just like the vast majority of county landowners, or they could get massive land use tax breaks by agreeing to keep their land permanently undeveloped through conservation easements.

That change would mean some rural landowners would no longer receive land use tax breaks and would pay thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars more in taxes each year, money that could be used by the county for education, transportation and other services, or to reduce the tax burden on the vast majority of county taxpayers.

“I came to the conclusion that it may make sense for the county to say: ‘We’re going to reserve land use tax for people who truly preserve the land,’” Slutzky said in a recent interview.

The Free Enterprise Forum believes the land use taxation program is clearly a net benefit to Albemarle County.  We agree with retiring Supervisor Sally Thomas the “Cows don’t go to School”.  To those who believe this is a way that land rich folks get by without paying taxes, we are quick to point out all landowners pay the same tax levy on their primary residence and surrounding acreage.

We take great issue with Mr. Slutzky’s suggestion that land in land use is not “preservation”.  We have equated land use and conservation easements to the difference between renting and owning. We would argue the ecological benefits provided by a farm in land use for twenty years are the same as the ecological benefits of a farm in an easement.  The generational stewardship of Albemarle County’s countryside has long been “preserved” by the very farmers that relied on the land for their livelihoods.

This is not the first time Mr. Slutzky has brought forward the concept of Land Use taxation “reform”.  In July, 2008 the Board of Supervisors had a comprehensive review of the Land Use taxation regulations. In order to move any action forward the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors requires four votes.  Our blog post highlights part of the discussion: 

After dealing with a couple of routine public hearing items, the Albemarle Board moved swiftly into a discussion with Mark Graham, Director of Community Development regarding so called “Option 2″ for restructuring land use.  Mr. Graham’s review of the potential program highlighted the rather high costs for Albemarle County in the short term and the lack of significant long term benefits.  The staff report concluded with a recommendation not to move forward with Option 2. 

Supervisor David Slutzky raised a number of questions regarding staff’s analysis regarding market concerns created by enacting Option 2.  Supervisor Dennis Rooker also joined in the discussion related to lots that might be flooded onto the market.  Mr. Slutzky also asked his fellow Board members if they might be interested in seeing this topic reviewed if and when a Transfer of Development Rights program was considered. 

Supervisor Sally Thomas mentioned the ecological importance of trees beyond just as a renewable resource for lumber. 

After what for this board was a short discussion, Chairman Ken Boyd asked the question many in the room were thinking “Are there four of us that want to continue this discussion?”  In the end it was a 6-0 decision not to move forward with Option 2.

In the end the Board of Supervisors directed staff to work with County land owners and develop a land use revalidation system to make sure those receiving land use taxation benefits were truly using the land.  Some refered to this as “Counting Cows”.  Landowners (some prompted by their supervisors) returned the land use revalidation forms beyond expectation and the County Assessor is now evaluating the forms.

So what has changed?  Why is David Slutzky’s well known stand on land use taxation suddenly front page news?

Mr. Slutzky is in a political campaign in one of the most urban of Albemarle’s six magisterial districts.  Could this lukewarm call for land use repeal (“I’m not even sure I’d vote for it”) represent a political calculation?

Regardless of his own personal views, does Mr. Slutzky believe in January he will have four supervisors who will vote to repeal land use taxation?   I think not.  

Mr. Slutzky is not counting cows or supervisors; he is not counting the many ecological benefits of land use; he is counting Rio District voters that are ineligible for land use.  He is counting on their votes November 3rd.

What a beautiful and thoughtful website and blog!  Everyone wanting to learn more about our farmers and to help the Market find a permanent home will find this very interesting.

Photo by Kathy Kildea

We’re on the Web!

Market Central is thrilled to announce the launch of our long-awaited website! www.marketcentralonline.org went live on October 1, and we’d love for you to visit the site and check it out!

You’ll find information on our organization, as well as links to sites for the market manager, individual vendor sites, membership application, and archived editions of Market News.

View a slideshow of market pictures, and post a comment or idea on our blog page. Check back to the site often – it is a work in progress, and will be updated and expanded often!

Via Kathy Kildea, Secretary
Market Central, Inc.
marketcentral@bnsi.net

Download the latest Market Central Newsletter (PDF)

It is so hard to define “lifelong learning” because it means so many different things to different people and at different times of life.  The classes and activities at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail (ACRJ) are simply another facet of the lifelong-learning jewel!  Here is an opportunity to support the outreach effort at the ACRJ, a valuable educational program that helps others improve the quality of their lives while strengthening our community.

Here is the information about our Volunteer Reception & Tour at Ashlawn-Highland –

For the past four years during the month of May the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail (ACRJ) recognizes our wonderful team of volunteer facilitators, instructors and teachers as part of the National Volunteer Appreciation Week by hosting an annual reception and banquet. Due to the budget cuts that everyone has been subjected to in the last two years we did not have the funds to continue our tradition.

However, our team of volunteers from the Albemarle/Charlottesville area not only remain steadfast in their commitment to providing/sharing their many talents, skills and knowledge with our client/offenders, but also this team continues to grow. These are volunteers who participate in this community outreach here at ACRJ on a weekly basis without expectation of recognition but rather with the hope of helping others in their community who are in need of reestablishing and improving the quality of their lives.

To date, we have over 300 volunteers here at ACRJ. That in and of itself, speaks volumes about this community.

This year, as a result of the relationship that has developed between the Administrations of Ashlawn-Highland and Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, Ashlawn-Highland has graciously offered to host a Volunteer Appreciation Reception & Tour on Sunday October 25, 2009 from 2-4:00 p.m. for all of our volunteers and their families.

We are in need of donations for food and beverages for this event. We will need items such as cakes, pies, cupcakes, donuts, cookies, nuts, chips, crackers, cheeses, fruit/vegetables trays, meat trays, salsa, dipping breads, dipping oils, coffee, cider, soda, and wine.

If you are interested in donating any of these items (large or small) to help us make this a memorable event for our volunteers here at ACRJ or would like more information, please contact Phyllis Back, Director of Programs at 434-977-6981 ext. 288 or via email at backp@acrj.org.

For anger management classes in North Carolina visit www.masteringanger.com or call 704-804-0841.

By. Neil Williamson, President

In last night’s (9/29) Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)  presentation on the Route 29 Corridor Study, started with the admonition that there is no funding to build any of the projects depicted on the presentation boards surrounding the room.

By my count, over 150 people were in attendance and there was a great deal of citizen anger regarding the two proposed solutions for US 29 in Charlottesville.  Board of Supervisors Members Dennis Rooker and David Slutzky both expressed significant doubts that either the “flyover Kroger” or the Leonard Sandridge extension would ever get built.  Considering Mr. Rooker and Mr. Slutzky are the County’s representatives on the Metropolitan Planning  Organization (MPO), their words have significance.

Interestingly no one has commented on one of the study’s major recommendations (page 10):

Legislation relative to access management, development of Corridor Implementation Plan, enhancing planner/practitioner tools for transportation and land use planning

Tools to remove traffic signals over the long-term, alter procedures so that new signals include an “exit” strategy

I was intrigued by these ideas and asked a VDOT veteran involved in the study.  He indicated VDOT desperately needs this power to place them as an equal parter with the locality in negotiating access to US 29.  If VDOT has their way, access in the future will not be directly on US 29 it will be on a secondary street.  VDOT now has an advisory role but localities can choose to ignore the VDOT advice.

To be clear, every traffic signal on US 29 has gone in with VDOT consent.  While VDOT is seemingly placing the US 29 blame all on the localities, clearly they too were a part of this party.  Now, this 1.5 Million dollar study suggests US 29’s planning corridors should be overseen jointly by VDOT and localities rather than just the localities.  After my discussion with the VDOT veteran, I spoke with a member of The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors who suggested there was no way VDOT would get that power.

So,what did I learn at this meeting?

• There is no money for any of the transportation projects proposed.
• VDOT wants to build a road on land that it already owns (mostly), Albemarle doesn’t — the road will likely not get built.
• VDOT wants to be the new sheriff to “redefine and expand VDOT’s role as steward of the Route 29 transportation system” in the name of better transportation, the localities don’t want to give up this power, all politics being local, it is unlikely such legislative changes occur.

Absent these legislative actions, there is little chance the localities will uniformly deny access to US 29 throughout the corridor.  If controlled access and integrated side street systems are required for success and the localities refuse to grant VDOT such powers, the Route 29 Corridor Study  is a $1.5 million dollar toothless wonder to be added to the bookshelf.

How else could we have spent $1.5 million transportation dollars?

FORUM WATCH EDITORIAL

By. Neil Williamson, President

Last week at the Charlottesville Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board meeting, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) unveiled the preliminary outline of their Route 29 Corridor study.  There are many interesting slides in the presentation.  They will be presenting their findings to the public at 5:00pm on Tuesday evening at Department of Forestry 900 Natural Resources Drive | Charlottesville, Virginia 22903

The study reaches several conclusions:

• Route 29 between Route 250 and Hydraulic Road is a major choke point of the entire 219-mile corridor
• As currently designated, the Western Bypass is no longer an effective option to serve corridor-wide trips
• The VDOT-owned Western Bypass corridor right-of-way represents a possible transportation corridor to potentially serve local and regional traffic, as well as a possible corridor for regional commuter bus service

The report saves its most stinging rebuke for the Places29 recommendations stating,

Places 29 recommendations do not fully address long-term needs on Route 29 from Route 250 to Hydraulic Road

The Corridor Draft report goes beyond simply highlighting the issues it also provides a recommendation for moving forward.  On the West side of US 29 the study calls for consideration of an extension of Leonard Sandridge Road North to Hydraulic or Earlysville Road.  On the East side of US29, the study calls for a bold new vision reconfiguring the proposed US29/Hydraulic interchange so that it extends south to include Route 250.

 Make no mistake, this is a game changer.  It will be interesting what the local decision makers choose to do with the long range plan known as Places29 in the face of VDOT indicating it does not solve the long range issues.

Further, as businesses and residents attempt to get there heads around the Places29 plan and the VDOT plan it would be wise to remember Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer’s quote from Sunday’s Washington Post [referring to Northern Virginia]  “I-66 is part of Main Street in this area,” he said.

How should US29, Charlottesville’s main street develop?

This is going to be a great opportunity for us in the Charlottesville area to visit DC and come back the same day. Union Station is just a short distance from the museums and art galleries, so this new Amtrak service should make lifelong-learning field trips to our nation’s capital especially easy.

New daily Amtrak service to Washington, DC – starts Thursday, October 1st, 8:49 AM

Inaugural Run Event in Charlottesville at 2:15 PM on Wednesday, September 30th (Amtrak Station on W Main St)

Starting October 1st, there will be a new regular Amtrak service from Lynchburg that departs Charlottesville at 8:49 AM and enters Union Station at 11:20 AM.  The train is on the Northeast Regional Line, which means you can travel all the way to New York or Boston without every changing trains!

The day before, there is an inaugural run event that stops in Charlottesville at 2:15 PM to pick up Gov. Tim Kaine who will ride to Lynchburg.  Visit amtrak.com for more information on train schedules and fairs.

Via Vince Caristo, info@transportationchoice.org
Executive Director, Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT)
www.transportationchoice.org

Chrysanthemums are in bloom, the morning air is crisp and pumpkins are set by the front door.  Fall is here and Session A classes have begun!

We are offering two more lectures and two OLLI outings this semester for our current members.  To register for the outings, please follow the instructions provided in the notices below. For the lectures, please register by emailing the OLLI office at olliuva@virginia.edu.
We hope you will join us!
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OLLI Lectures
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Art-Inspired Poetry
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
Monday, October 5, 1:30-3 p.m.
Senior Center
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda was poet laureate of Virginia from 2006 to 2008. She has
published five poetry books and coedited two poetry anthologies. Her newest book,
River Country, celebrates the natural world of Virginia’s Tidewater region. Carolyn
is also a visual artist whose paintings have been widely displayed in libraries,
galleries, and other settings throughout the commonwealth. She plans to read nature-
and art-inspired poems from her recent books and talk about projects during her
term as poet laureate, as well as show slides of her colorful paintings and discuss
her method of working as a visual artist.

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Space Flight: A Historical Perspective
Kathryn C. Thornton
Tuesday, October 27, 2:30-4 p.m.
Senior Center
Kathryn Thornton was a NASA astronaut from 1984 to 1996 and is a veteran of four
space-shuttle missions. She logged more than 975 hours in space, including more
than 21 hours of extravehicular activity. Currently she is a professor and associate
dean for graduate programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science in Engineering
at the University of Virginia. Kathryn will address provocative questions, such
as why we go to space, what we do there, and what we learn in that environment that
will benefit future explorers. She will describe her experiences in space and perspectives
on the future of the space program.

Please join us for both exciting lectures. To register, please email the OLLI office
at olliuva@virginia.edu or call 434-923-3600.
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OLLI Outings
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Newseum in Washington on Tuesday, October 6
Join OLLI Outings at the recently reopened Newseum, the world’s most interactive
museum. It blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology
and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum takes museumgoers behind the scenes to experience
how and why news is made. You will come away with a better understanding of news
and the important role it plays in all our lives. A tour takes about two to three
hours.  Participants will be dropped off at the Newseum on the corner of Pennsylvania
Avenue and Sixth Street NW and will be picked up at 3:30 p.m. on nearby Fourth Street
NW between the East and West Wings of the National Gallery of Art. Lunch is on your
own; cafeterias at the Newseum and the National Gallery of Art both are convenient
spots.

For reservations, send a check for $60–payable to UVa Fund/OLLI–to Betty Worch,
464 Fontana Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22911. Please include your address and phone
number so we can notify you when your check is received. You will be informed whether
you have a place on the trip or are on a waiting list. Your check will be held until
completion of the outing. You may call 434-295-7809 for more information or visit
the Newseum website (www.newseum.com).  Our chartered bus will leave from Fashion
Square Mall, behind the Wachovia Bank, promptly at 7:30 a.m. and return around 6
p.m.

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Historic Staunton on Saturday, November 14
Spend a day with OLLI in historic Staunton — tour the Woodrow Wilson birthplace,
then brush up your Shakespeare at the Blackfriars Playhouse.  We will start at the
birthplace in 1856 of Woodrow Wilson, our nation’s twenty-eighth president. The
home was the Presbyterian manse, provided for Woodrow’s  father and his family.
House interpreters take us back into the mid-nineteenth century and highlight Wilson’s
family, upbringing, and lifestyle. The surrounding boxwood gardens, designed by
Charles  Gillette, were installed by the Garden Club of Virginia in the 1930s. The
self-guided tour of the presidential library offers an overview of Wilson’s life
and career, plus background on women’s suffrage, Prohibition, and World War I.
In the exhibit hall are Wilson’s 1919 Pierce Arrow, the presidential limousine,
and his golf clubs! Lunch is on your own and not included in the trip fee. For your
convenience, however, we have made a group reservation at a highly recommended restaurant,
Emilio’s, on East Beverly Street; our bus will take us there. After lunch it’s about
a five-minute walk to the Blackfriars Playhouse, where we will see the 2 p.m. performance
of Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing. Laugh at the glowing wit of Beatrice and
Benedict and the blunders of Dogberry and his pals.

Make reservations by sending a check for $62–payable to UVa Fund/OLLI–to Barbara
McGrath, 1704 Old Forge Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901. Be sure to include your
address and phone number so we can contact you. You will be notified when your
check is received and will be informed if you have a place on the trip or are on
a waiting list. Your check will be held until completion of the outing. You may
call 434-295-8257 for additional information. Our chartered bus will leave from
Fashion Square Mall, behind Wachovia Bank, promptly at 8:45 a.m. and will return
around 6 p.m.