Charlottesville Tomorrow Blog

Boyd questions expenditure to fix McIntire Skate Park

The McIntire Road Skate Park was built in 2000 with a mixture of City, County and private funds. Since then, the County has contributed to the park’s operating expenses because County residents make up half of the use of the City-run park. However, the park was recently closed for safety reasons due to deteriorating conditions. The City purchased $187,000 worth of replacement ramps and other supporting structures, and has asked the County to pay for half the bill.

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“This happens to us quite often that the City does something and says ‘Oh by the way, here’s the bill’”, said Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Boyd (Rivanna) when the item came up on the consent agenda for the Board’s meeting on May 7.  He said he did not object to spending the money, but he did think the County should have had a say in the process. “Too often the City just assumes we’re going to cough up money for things.”

Pat Mullaney, the County’s Director of Parks and Recreation, said the bill from the City came as a surprise, but he supported his City counterpart’s unilateral decision to close the park. “We scrambled to find a way to participate, because especially in these hard times we have to maintain our partnerships,” Mullaney said.
Boyd said a joint City and County committee makes decisions about the operations of Darden Towe park, and suggested that the Skate Park be run in the same fashion.  Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) said he agreed with Boyd, especially considering the tight budgetary climate.

“We spent a good amount of time arguing about $10,000, $5,000 items on our budget this past year, and now we have a $93,500 expenditure that we didn’t know we were going to have,” Rooker said. “Those arrangements where we share expenses, we need to have an equal say in the making of expenditures.”

County Executive Bob Tucker said he would follow up with City Manager Gary O’Connell, but said that were not too many similar arrangements.  Mullaney said he would like to formalize his department’s arrangements with the City.

“I see our relationship with the City expanding in the future, and as times get tough partnerships are important, and we’re one community and we need to  work more together,” Mullaney said.

Boyd suggested the County’s “fair share” of these types of expenditures should come from the revenue sharing agreement. The County paid $13.6 million to the City for Fiscal Year 2008-2009. Slutzky said without the revenue sharing agreement, the City would have annexed a large portion of the County’s tax base. Rooker said if the agreement is broken, the City could pursue annexation if the state moratorium on the practice is allowed to expire in 2010.  

Sean Tubbs

County Planners oppose Pantops sports and auto complex

At their meeting on March 25, 2008, the Albemarle County Planning Commission held a work session to consider a project proposing a major indoor/outdoor sports complex, a two-story retail and office building, and an auto dealership on Route 250 East near the Interstate 64 interchange at Shadwell.  The East Pantops Complex is on three parcels totaling 58.2 acres which includes the South Lego Farm.

The majority of the commissioners expressed strong concerns about the scale and location of the sporting complex and additional Highway Commercial activity. In the view of the Commission, the overall project was not seen as compatible with the County’s Comprehensive Plan.  All of the commissioners were opposed to the seven additional residential lots proposed for the property.  Chairman Cal Morris was not in attendance at the meeting.

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The staff report identified numerous challenges the proposal presents for the County’s consideration.

• Location: Project is in the rural area outside the Pantops Development Area.  In addition to the sports complex, the project proposes seven additional housing lots, an intensity of use not intended in the Rural Areas portion of the Comprehensive Plan.
• Scale of facility: The applicant stated this would be the largest indoor recreation facility of its type in Virginia.  The indoor sports facility is proposed to be 93,750 sq.ft. covering 2.15 acres.  In Albemarle’s rural area, only four other buildings exceed 90,000 sq.ft.  Three of them are County schools and the fourth is the Earlysville Industrial Park Building.
• Comparable projects: An indoor soccer facility less than half this size in the rural area off Polo Grounds Road was recently rejected by the Board of Supervisors.
• Historic resources: There are several historic resources near the property (Monticello, Shadwell Estate, and the archaeological site of the 19th century Shadwell canal lock and dam.
• Highway interchange policies: This property is on the rural area side of the I-64 interchange not designated for interchange-related development.
• Master plan: The Pantops Master Plan was approved in March 2008.  Staff note there were no requests for changes along this eastern boundary of the development area (e.g. to include this property in the plan).
• Natural resources: There would be grading and fill in the floodplain and in stream buffer areas to create outdoor playing fields.

The centerpiece of the proposed project is the 93,750 sq.ft. indoor sports complex.  The applicant, Mike Harding, said it would include three indoor soccer fields, four indoor basketball courts, a health club, and a restaurant.  Modeled after a smaller facility in Rockville, MD, the building would cover 2.15 acres.  Harding said it would be the biggest indoor sporting facility of its kind in Virginia.  The Commission was skeptical such a facility could be done in accordance with the goals of the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

Harding was encouraged to consider applying for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) which would lay the foundation for the County to consider an appropriate application in the future.  However, given the tenor of the commissioners comments about the proposal and the concerns presented by staff, the likelihood of such a CPA being approved in the County’s rural area by the Planning Commission seems remote.

Harding described his request for the Highway Commercial rezoning along Route 250 as appropriate development that would be “linear infill.”  He questioned the County’s designation of that land as rural dating back to the great rezoning of 1980.  “To refer to any part of this project as rural in character, I’d have to say that our forefathers that did that were putting lipstick on a pig,” said Harding.  “There is nothing here that is rural in character where the rezoning is being asked for.”

The newest Commissioner, Linda Porterfield (Scottsville), told her colleagues that she could support additional Highway Commercial uses along Route 250 East given the numerous commercial properties between I-64 and Route 22 at Shadwell.  “What I am looking at on this side of [the Interstate] is that this is land that is very close in proximity to the other land that is being used commercially….I am also looking at land that…I don’t think has been used for rural [purposes] in a very long time.”

“What do we do to make this productive land for the County of Albemarle?” asked Porterfield.  In recent years, some of her fellow Commissioners have taken what they describe as a principled approach in opposition to the expansion of the county’s designated growth areas, whether through a master planning process or through rezonings like this for the proposed auto dealership.  Land left rural and undeveloped is a “productive” use of the land in their interpretation of the Comprehensive Plan’s goals.  Commissioner Eric Strucko (Samuel Miller) observed that the parcel was bordered by other non-commercial land with conservation easements and historic district designations.

Wayne Cilimberg, the County's Director of Planning, summarized the Commission’s discussion at the conclusion of the work session.  He told the commissioners he heard them saying they could not support the creation of new residential lots nor could it support a rezoning of rural land to Highway Commercial to support the proposed auto dealership.  He also said that the sporting complex was not ruled out if it could be done on a smaller scale, but that the Commission would need to see more detailed information in a revised plan.

Next, developer Mike Harding will have to make a determination as to what type of revised request he plans to bring back to the County for further consideration.

Brian Wheeler

County approves use agreement for McIntire YMCA; pool details to be ironed out

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has approved a use agreement for the proposed Piedmont Family YMCA to be built in Charlottesville's McIntire Park. The County will contribute $2,030,000 to the construction of the facility, which will include a gymnasium, meeting space, locker rooms, a fitness center, and other amenities.

City Council approved of a ground lease and use agreement at its meeting on December 17, 2007. The City will not contribute any capital costs to the core facility. The YMCA will conduct a capital campaign for the construction of the facility.

Details about the size and scale of the aquatic center also have to be fully worked out. The next step is for a team of negotiators from the City, County and the YMCA to discuss the size of the proposed aquatic facility. The City of Charlottesville is considering spending $1.25 million to guarantee that at least six lanes in the competitive pool will be set aside for use by Charlottesville High School students in the two hours immediately after school. The County is still considering whether it should make its own contribution of $1.25 million, or whether it should seek another option for the County's high school swim teams. Supervisor Ken Boyd (Rivanna) suggested that the County may choose to partner with other organizations to satisfy that programming need.

Kurt Krueger, Piedmont Family YMCA

The scale of the aquatic facility could grow dramatically. Kurt Krueger, the Chair of the Piedmont Family YMCA, said the University of Virginia is interested in discussing adding a deeper diving well so that the facility could host collegiate diving competitions.

“There's maybe a very exciting opportunity over the next four months to really build an aquatic center for the community,” Krueger said.

The exact location of the YMCA is also being decided as part of a new master plan for McIntire Park, which is being conducted by the City's Parks and Recreation Department. That process has a deadline of May 20, 2008.

Supervisor Sally Thomas (Samuel Miller) wanted to know the value of the land in McIntire Park. Krueger said City Council has come up with a number of estimates.

“It's probably in the $600,000 range at least if not higher,” Krueger said. “The larger the facility we build, the more land we use, and the more valuable the piece of property becomes.” He added that the usage of the facility was projected to be 70 percent County residents, 30 percent City residents, reflecting the two jurisdiction's contribution.

The land will revert back to the City 40 years after the lease is signed. If the City elects to not renew the lease, it will also obtain ownership of the structure. In that event, the use agreement states County residents will continue to be allowed use of the facility.

1-11-08: Correction: Charlottesville Tomorrow incorrectly reported that the YMCA would be built at Piedmont Virginia Community College if the Master Plan process is not completed by May 20, 2008. In fact, the ground lease states that it will be built at the default location listed below inside of McIntire Park.

Sean Tubbs

Councilor Dave Norris appears on WINA; Explains ambulance and YMCA decisions and outlines his priorities for 2008

City Councilor Dave Norris was a guest on WINA's Charlottesville Live radio program as part of the station's monthly Government Day feature.  Hosts Rick Daniels and Jane Foy interviewed Norris who says he expects to be elected by Council to be the City's next Mayor when they hold their first meeting of 2008 next week.

"It's a position where you can use the bully pulpit to address some of the issues that brought you into public service, and that's what I intend to do with it," said Norris. While he described it as a largely ceremonial position, the mayor sets the Council agenda and chairs the meetings.

Norris is promising more open government, and told WINA Council will soon hold a public hearing on how City operations can be made more efficient. The rest of the conversation features Norris explaining Council's recent decisions on the YMCA in McIntire Park and City-run EMS service.

Norris says he believe his 2006 running mate, Councilor Julian Taliaferro, will become Vice Mayor.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20080102-Norris-WINA.mp3

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 1:39 - Norris on his new duties, should he become Mayor next Monday
• 3:17 - Norris on the need for transparent government
• 5:27 - Norris on why he supports the YMCA in McIntire Park
• 7:12 - Norris on security cameras on and around the Downtown Mall, leading to a discussion on public safety
• 12:16 - Norris on Council's December 17 decision to approve a City-run ambulance service
• 14:44 - Norris on affordable living choices
• 15:57 - Norris on the need for continued City-Council cooperation

Sean Tubbs

Council approves McIntire Park lease for YMCA

The Charlottesville City Council has voted 3-2 to approve a ground lease for the Piedmont YMCA to construct a fitness and aquatic center in McIntire Park. The new facility will be built on one of the existing softball fields, though the exact location and size will not be determined until after the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department conducts a new master plan for McIntire Park. 

Outgoing Councilor Kendra Hamilton and Councilor Julian Taliaferro voted against the proposal. The approval came despite Hamilton's request that the lease only move forward with a 5-0 or 4-1 vote.

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Outgoing Councilor Kendra Hamilton

“We have always held that standard on things that involve the park,” Hamilton said. “For the history that I've been on Council, with Meadowcreek Parkway issues, we have been able to achieve that consensus. [Here] we have not gotten that consensus either in the community or on Council.”

If Council does not approve a plan for the facility by May 20, 2008, the Piedmont YMCA will proceed with a proposal to build on the campus of Piedmont Virginia Community College.

Under the terms of the lease and use agreement, the Piedmont YMCA will lease space in McIntire Park at a cost of $1 a year for the next four decades. The facility will contain a fitness center, a gymnasium, a track, classrooms, locker rooms, as well as a family aquatic center. As part of the negotiations, the City and the County will both be able to appoint two members to the Piedmont YMCA's Board of Directors.

The YMCA will also commit to providing financial assistance to those who can't afford to become members. All families living below federal poverty guidelines will be admitted for free. City Parks and Recreation Director Mike Svetz suggested using the criteria that if a family has children that qualify for a free lunch, they'll qualify for free membership.

Albemarle County will contribute $2.03 million, regardless of whether the YMCA will be built in the park or at PVCC.  The YMCA will conduct a capital campaign to pay the balance for construction. If the City agrees to pay $1.25 million, the YMCA will make sure the competitive swimming pool has at least six lanes, and Charlottesville High School will get priority access to those lanes for the two hours immediately after school.

Kirk Krueger

Kirk Krueger, chair of the Piedmont YMCA, said that the organization would try to seek an additional $1.25 million from the County which would go towards building even more lanes.

The lease also contains language that gives the City the right to halt construction if those activities disrupt the park. The City Planning Commission and City Council will have to approve a site plan. However, the lease says the approvals “shall not be unreasonably withheld.” 

The lease also specifies that the new facility will enhance existing events held in the park, such as the Dogwood Festival, Earth Day and the annual fireworks at the Fourth of July. The YMCA will also seek to “offer programs and services that will take advantage of McIntire Park's inherent assets.”

When the facility opens, the user agreement states that City and County families will be charged $72  a month. Individuals would pay $48 a month, seniors over the age of 62 would pay $43 a month.

The lease anticipates that the City will extend the CTS bus line that runs down Rugby Avenue to the Park.

Outgoing Councilor Kevin Lynch

Councilor Kevin Lynch voted for the proposal, but said he would still prefer the YMCA to be built at McIntire Park. He said he was initially skeptical, but his opinion has changed over the past year.

“I was willing to entertain this site because of the potential it has as a cooperative project with Charlottesville High School,” Lynch said. “And, I believe that in the past several months of negotiations the YMCA has been a good faith partner.” He said that while most of the conversation has been about the impact on City pools, CHS students will benefit from having additional athletic facilities within walking distance.

Hamilton acknowledged that the proposal has improved throughout the negotiations, but that she could not support it. She thought Council was rushing through negotiations, and was not looking at the bigger picture.

“We are looking at a short-term problem, a ten-year problem, perhaps. We have specific needs for high schools and pools right now,” Hamilton said. “But we're committing to a 40 year program, and once we alter the park, we alter the park for all time. I don't think that we're thinking big enough.” She went on to suggest that the City should get together with the County and the University to build a larger, regional facility, without using the YMCA as an intermediary.

Councilor Taliaferro also said there were too many unanswered questions for him to support the proposal, citing the lack of an exact location.

Lynch asked Hamilton what it would take to earn her vote. Hamilton said if she were remaining on Council, she could likely vote for the proposal and then participate in the final negotiations.

Krueger said he would be willing to participate in further negotiations to expand the project, and would aim towards building a 12-lane facility.

“By having the City and the County at the table at the same time, there is a reasonable opportunity here to have a facility exactly like you're talking about,” said Krueger. “It's just a matter of covering the capital fees to build it, and the operating costs to run it.”

Hamilton pointed out that the larger the facility, the larger the impact on McIntire Park.

Councilor Dave Norris said he was excited about the plan, which would construct a new facility without overly burdening taxpayers.

Sean Tubbs

YMCA proposal inches forward

A 2006 schematic showing the elements that would be incorporated into the YMCA's planned 70,000 square foot facility (Source: Piedmont Family YMCA)

The City Council has approved the first reading of a lease agreement with the Piedmont Family YMCA  to build a 70,000 square foot fitness and aquatics center in McIntire Park. The approval came despite several speakers who voiced their opposition to the project in a public hearing. The City will continue negotiations with the Y and with Albemarle County to determine what privileges each jurisdiction will be entitled to under the terms of the agreement.

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Council has been considering the issue for months as part of its efforts to guide the future of City run pools. The City has entered into a ground lease with the Boys and Girls Club to rebuild Smith Pool at Buford Pool as a warm water facility with a handful of dedicated swim lanes. That leaves the future of Crow pool still up in the air.

City Manager Gary O'Connell said the land in McIntire Park would most likely come from one of the existing softball fields. An exact location will not be determined until after the City's Parks and Recreation Department completes a master plan for McIntire Park.

Before the public hearing, Kurt Krueger, chair of the Piedmont Family YMCA's Board of Directors, explained to Council how changes have been made in five areas to accommodate the City's condition.

• YMCA will no longer consider placing a lien on the ground lease to raise additional funds
• In addition to giving the City two spots on its Board of Directors, the YMCA will also ensure that the Board is composed of half City residents, and half of County residents.
• In exchange for the City giving $1.25 million, Charlottesville High School students will be given priority swim times. However, the County's three high schools will also get priority.
• The YMCA will agree to continue for a limited time the City's punch-pass system, which would give City swimmers the chance to use the facility without becoming members.
• The usage agreement between the City and the YMCA will specifically state that any individual or family below poverty line will be eligible for 100% assistance.

PUBLIC HEARING

Most of the thirteen people who spoke at the public hearing were against the project.

Collette Hall of the North Downtown Neighborhood Association pleaded with the City to “leave the McIntire Park a green space” and that she would prefer the YMCA be built at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Many agreed with Hall as the public hearing continued.

Lisa Goff represented the 36 members of the CHS Swim and Dive Pool and asked the Council to secure a guarantee that six lanes would be dedicated to the team. The team currently has that many lanes at Crow Pool.  Current CHS swimmer Irene Euen said it's very difficult to train in cramped conditions that she predicted would occur at the proposed YMCA competitive pool. Crow Pool is currently closed because of the drought.

“Cutting back to five lanes would force cuts in the high school swim team,” Goff said, adding the team size is currently constrained by lane availability.

Lisa Grove and Sandra Stamp questioned the high cost of repairs cited for Crow and Smith Pool, and said the numbers were being manipulated. City resident Downing Smith urged Council to retain operational control over anything that they continue to fund. City resident Elizabeth Kutchai said she thought the County should build its own pools if County residents want to swim.

Others spoke out against the project because of the loss of parkland. City resident Naomi Robert lamented how McIntire Place is no longer a place where families can have picnics. During the City Council's general public comment period, DeDe Smith remarked that it seems to be getting easier for Council to approve of using parkland for other purposes.

But other people spoke in favor of the project.

Scott Brown, chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, said the YMCA proposal is about much more than pools, and that city residents will gain access to much. City resident Anne Hemingway urged support for the project, as long as the CHS swim team get six lanes. Mark Saunders, father of three swimmers, said he supports the project because the City will get a much better fitness facility that it can afford.

COUNCIL DISCUSSION

Under the terms, the City and County would both pay $1.25 million to help defray the construction costs of a competitive 10-lane swimming pool at the facility. Mayor Brown asked Krueger why the YMCA would try to accommodate three County teams and the City's one swim team for the same amount of money.

Krueger said those details needed to be negotiated, and would be done so if the first reading of the lease could be approved.

Councilor Kevin Lynch said the project would only make sense for the City if it can save money, but that without six lanes dedicated for CHS swimmers he could not support it. Lynch also said he would not mind if the deal project were built at PVCC, but that CHS students would benefit if it were next to their school. Lynch also said he thought the existing punch-pass system was a money-loser that needed to be reformed, no matter what happens with City pools. Lynch added that he also wanted to guarantee there was a transit element of the project.

Krueger acknowledged that aquatics is an important component of the proposed facility, but urged Council to consider that the new center would provide other fitness amenities, such as a track, a gymnasium, and a warm water pool. He also reminded Council that the YMCA will pay for all of the operational expenses of the pool.

Councilor Julian Taliaferro listed several concerns with the project. He said he was not convinced CHS students would get priority, and that he was not pleased there was no concrete cost estimate nor a site plan. Taliaferro also questioned whether low-income residents would seek the scholarships, seeing that they will have to show two pay stubs and a tax return to prove their need.  Taliaferro also said that he was not comfortable ceding control over such things as hours of operation to the YMCA.

Krueger reminded Taliaferro that the City Council would get to appoint two Board members, and that the Board would be comprised of half City residents within a year. He also said that the YMCA needed to have some amount of flexibility when setting its policies. Krueger also pointed out that much of this would be covered in the use agreement. He went on to say that there will be no site plan or cost

Councilor Dave Norris, a supporter of the YMCA project, asked Parks Director Mike Svetz a series of questions about the benefits of the YMCA compared to the option of having the City completely take funding responsibility for Smith and Crow pools.

Mayor David Brown said the YMCA was making progress with the issue, and pointed out that he had support from Norris and Lynch. Councilor Hamilton said that she agreed with many of the people who spoke at the public hearing, and could not promise that she would vote for the deal on second hearing.

City Attorney Craig Brown said the issue should not come back before Council for a second reading until after all of the details in the lease are finally negotiated.  City Manager O'Connell suggested that two members of Council take part in the negotiations.

TIMELINE for podcast:

• 0:45 – Mayor David Brown introduces the item
• 0:56 – City Manager Gary O'Connell details the lease agreement before Council
• 2:10 – Kurt Krueger, Piedmont Family YMCA, explains how changes have been made in five areas to accommodate the City's conditions
• 8:10 – Collette Hall of the North Downtown Neighborhood Association, speaking against
• 10:20 – Lisa Goff, representing Charlottesville High School Swim and Dive Team
• 13:20 – Scott Brown, chair of Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, speaking in favor
• 14:17 – Paul White of Gold's Gym speaking against
• 16:42 – City resident Lisa Grove speaking against
• 18:49 – City resident Virginia Amos speaking against
• 20:17 – City resident Downing Smith speaking against
• 22:21 – City resident Anne Hemingway speaking in favor
• 24:14 – City resident Sandra Stamp speaking against
• 26:24 – City resident Elizabeth Kutchai speaking against
• 28:33 – Current CHS Swimmer Irene Euen speaking against
• 29:51 – City resident Naomi Roberts speaking against
• 31:24 – City resident Mark Saunders speaking in favor
• 33:51 – Mayor Brown begins Council discussion with a question about why the County's three high school teams would have priority access
• 36:02 – Councilor Kendra Hamilton asks if the YMCA is properly valuing the land
• 38:25 – Mayor Brown asks where the current County and CHS swim teams practice, and he is answered by Shelley Remaly
• 39:20 – Councilor Lynch weighs in on the discussion
• 46:59  – Councilor Norris asks if the lease and use agreements could be separated
• 48:59 – Councilor Taliaferro describes his concerns over the facility
• 59:37 – Councilor Dave Norris questions Mike Svetz on the benefits of the project
• 1:06:08 – Councilor Lynch explains why he would not mind the PVCC option
• 1:09:24 – Mayor Dave Brown reiterates concern about CHS students getting priority
• 1:13:40 – Councilor Hamilton lists the public hearing comments she agreed with
• 1:15:23 – Councilor Norris requests to have lease and use agreement separated for the purpose of moving the ordinance process forward

Sean Tubbs

October 2007 MPO Policy Board Meeting

UVA's Julia Monteith & Rebecca White

On October 17, 2007, the Policy Board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization held their monthly meeting [agenda]. The main item of business was a report on the new University of Virginia Transportation Demand Management Plan.  Julia Monteith of the University Architect's Office and Rebecca White, Director of Parking and Transportation delivered the presentation for UVA. 

In other business, the MPO endorsed a grant application related to the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center who is seeking state funding for a trail and ferry system along the Rivanna River.  The MPO also finalized the language for their annual priority statement to be delivered to the Commonwealth Transportation Board on November 1st.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20071017-MPO.MP3

View UVA TDM slideshow with audio

TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT (TDM)

Monteith and White reported on the completion of the first of what will be two phases of the UVA TDM Plan. According to Monteith, TDM is "the art of influencing travel behavior for the purpose of reducing the demand for single occupant vehicle use."  Phase I is the conceptual plan of possible strategies that is intended to inform UVA's master plan.  The future Phase II will be a model for implementation.

Charlottesville Tomorrow has produced a 50 minute slide show of the TDM presentation.

Brian Wheeler

Councilor Kendra Hamilton discusses YMCA, Meadowcreek Parkway, on WINA

Kendra Hamilton

Outgoing City Councilor Kendra Hamilton was a guest on WINA's Charlottesville Live morning program on October 2, 2007 as part of the radio station's Government Day. Hamilton is stepping down after one term on the Council, and spoke with hosts Rick Daniels and Jennifer Zajac about recent Council events, such as the Council's granting of a temporary construction easement to VDOT for the Meadowcreek Parkway. This recording by Charlottesville Tomorrow is produced with the permission of WINA.

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Listen using player above or download the podcast:
Download 20071002-WINA-Hamilton.mp3

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS:

1:52 - Hamilton explains Council's vote for to grant a temporary construction easement for the Parkway
4:01 - Hamilton outlines why the vote is coming up now, and when the City Manager will sign over the easement
5:34 - Hamilton on City expectations of County transportation improvements
6:26 - Hamilton says many residents think of the Parkway as a "loaded gun" which will fire cars Downtown
8:24 - Hamilton on the YMCA-McIntire Park project
11:25 - Hamilton says the YMCA will not work at Piedmont Virginia Community College
13:00 - Hamilton gives her opinion on the plan to purchase surveillance cameras for downtown Charlottesville
15:56 - Hamilton on the 'surveillance society'

Sean Tubbs

City to advertise lease agreement for McIntire Park YMCA

The Charlottesville City Council has voted 3-1-1 to allow the Parks and Recreation Department to advertise for possible tenants for land on the west side of McIntire Park upon which a recreational center could be built.

The only organization expected to bid on the proposal is the Piedmont Family YMCA, which has been conducting a capital campaign to build a new facility. Their first choice is to build in McIntire Park near Charlottesville High School, but the back-up plan is to build at Piedmont Virginia Community College if Council rejects the proposal. Albemarle County will contribute $2 million to the project. If the City approves the lease, the YMCA will pay $1 a year for the next forty years.

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Listen using player above or download the podcast: Download 20070917-CC-YMCA.mp3

The process raised the concern of Downing Smith, a City resident who said he thought the lease proposal as written on the Council agenda was misleading because there was no mention of the YMCA.

“I still have a really hard time understanding how things work in the City. Don't you want to figure out whether or not you actually want to lease something before you ask for proposals? It looks suspicious. If you put out a lease proposal, and everybody knows that only one group is going to bid on the lease, what's the point?” asked Smith, adding that the process seemed rushed.

City Manager O'Connell later explained the first step in the process would be to advertise the lease, even if a tenant is already in mind.

Mike Svetz, Director of Parks and Recreation, said that the process has been going on for several years, and disagreed that there was a rush to judgment.

“We have been to Council eight or nine times in the last three years to discuss the issues associated with the future of our department,” he said. Council feedback from those meetings was incorporated into the lease agreement.

In July, Council also directed Svetz to begin writing up a draft lease. “The very first step is for Council to consider the draft lease, but also the provisions in that lease that deal with the lease agreement. Some of the conditions that City Council would like to see as part of any proposal brought forward.”

City Attorney Craig Brown acknowledged that the lease procedure is unusual, but required by state law because of the length of the agreement. “Legally we can lease City property for a period of up to five years. Any time you go over five years you must advertise it and seek bids before awarding a lease.”

City Manager Gary O'Connell said the same process was also used with the Boys and Girl's club facility at Buford School, as well as the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center in Pen Park.

Councilor Julian Taliaferro said he was concerned that the lease agreement was too vague. “There's still a lot of unanswered questions in the user agreement portion of this,” he said. “I kind of think we have the cart before the horse. It talks about the user agreement in here, but I would like to see more detail in here.”

Mayor David Brown asked City Attorney Brown if the details would be contained within the proposals that are submitted as part of the RFP.

“That's going to be a requirement of the solicitation, that anyone interested in leasing this property agree to the lease and to propose a user agreement,” the City Attorney responded. Hopefully the terms of the lease will be pretty well set but I don't anticipate that the terms of the user agreement will be. I suspect those will be subject of some negotiation.”

Councilor Kevin Lynch said he wanted to see more detail in the proposal. “We've had a fair amount of discussion between Council members about what our expectations would be for what would be in that use agreement. For example, I think it's fair to say that we would have an expectation that the [Charlottesville High School] swim team would have priority to use that facility.”

Mayor Brown then pointed out that the lease agreement under consideration already covered that particular issue in a note. The note requires anyone entering into a lease to submit a detailed use agreement that lays out how available the center would be to CHS students, who will be within walking distance of the facility.

Lynch said that wasn't sufficient. “We have some specific ideas about what we're looking for, and it would be clear to get that on the record.”

Brown said he didn't want to drag out the issue, and added that the use agreement would be negotiable. “What I'm trying to get at is to not to have a process that's dragged out for months.”

Councilor Taliaferro said because only the YMCA is going to bid on the proposal, it should be more detailed. “We talked about some issues with it, and I've never seen any of the answers to the questions we brought up for it.”

Mayor Brown disagreed, and said the lease agreement contains certain provision that will allow the city to use the facility for athletics. “I would think that a lot of things that we're asking for, they already know where we are because they've attended the meetings.”

Councilor Kendra Hamilton said she did not like the project, but that the lease agreement as written is responsive to the things that were brought up.

“It seems like the minute that we have made an agreement to put a road through our park, suddenly we're talking about developing a piece of it,” Hamilton said. She added that many people in the community are against the YMCA proposal out of concerns that low-income families will not be able to afford a membership.

“Very good points have been raised that the County is lacking in [recreational] facilities, and maybe this is a facility that should be in the County,” she said.

Councilor Lynch said the discussion of the YMCA needed to be placed in the context of all of the City's pools. “While I see that we have an obligation to keep the pool facilities, we will continue to have lanes available for laps. Presuming that we hold up our end, I do think that Smith and Crow need to be replaced, and that it would be more efficient to replace them with a single facility then to try to replace two facilities. I think working with the Y, we can do a better job of that.” He then advocated for a replacement of Smith pool, in conjunction with the new YMCA.

Mike Svetz said the Council might be overreaching in the level of detail requested. “If you asked me today exactly how I would program a pool that is yet to be defined in scope and size and number of lap lanes, it would be awfully difficult for me to say the CHS swim team is going to swim between the hours of 3 and 5.”

After certain language about the location of the facility was struck from the lease, a motion was made to proceed. Councilors Lynch, Brown and Dave Norris all voted to proceed. Taliaferro voted no. Hamilton abstained. The lease will now be advertised in the Daily Progress on September 20 and September 27.

FUTURE OF OTHER CITY POOLS

At a July 9 work session held at Key Recreation Center, Council said they wanted to make service at the City's neighborhood pools would not be affected. Specifically they wanted to know the future of the City's existing indoor pools at Smith and Crow pools. Those issues were raised by members of the public yesterday evening.

City Resident Sandra Stamp expressed concerns that the replacement pool at the YMCA would not include enough lap lanes. “I don't know how many of you City Councilors are regular lap swimmers, but many of us swim almost every day of the year,” she said. “City Council should truly look at how many lap lanes will stay open. At this point, the information being given to us is that with the Y, there will not be nearly the same number of lap lanes.”

County Resident Ann McClung said she's used the City pools at Smith and Crow for decades. “We need to still have the facilities available to all the public, and if you turn over the pools to a private organization such as the Y many people will not be able to use the facilities,” she said.

“Our current pools are set up as six-lane 25 yard pools, and really from a programmatic stand point, there are many more modern ways to go about doing that,” he said.

Svetz said he will bring a report on the future of neighborhood centers at Council's meeting on October 15. Part of that report will include a conceptual site plan for a new indoor swimming pool at the Buford School to be run in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club.

Sean Tubbs

RWSA holds meeting to discuss financing of community water supply plan

On the evening of September 13, 2007, about 70 people gathered in Lane Auditorium at the Albemarle County Office Building to begin a community discussion about how to pay for the 50-year water supply plan. That plan was endorsed by both the Charlottesville City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in June 2006, but decisions about financing the project have so far been on hold.

The adopted plan was shaped through nine public hearings held by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA), the quasi-governmental agency that maintains the various reservoirs, pumping and treatment facilities and other infrastructure that provides water to Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents. RWSA Executive Director Tom Frederick said officials and the public reached consensus that the selected preferred alternative should be the “least environmentally damaging, practicable alternative.”

The plan calls for a higher dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir to provide a pool of water 45 feet higher than the current pool. That will quadruple capacity to 2.1 billion gallons, to be partially filled by water from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir through a new pipeline. The plan also calls for upgrades of various water treatment and pumping facilities, all towards a goal of being able to provide a safe yield of at least 18 million gallons a day (MGD).

At the meeting, Frederick revealed new financial numbers for the first time at the meeting. He said full implementation of the plan will cost $142.1 million, and is broken down as follows:

• Ragged Mountain Dam - $37.2 million
• Upgrading Observatory to 8 MGD and Piping - $34.0 million
• South Fork Rivanna River - $55.9 million
• South Fork Expansion to 16 MGD - $9.0 million
• Observatory Expansion to 10 MGD - $6.0 million
• Total: $142.1 million

To put that figure into context, the RWSA currently has $33.5 million in assets in its urban water system. To fully implement the community water supply plan will require a quadrupling of financial resources. Additionally, Frederick said the RWSA will need an additional $11.5 million over the next five years to maintain the urban water system. Ongoing operational costs will also have to be addressed.

“We have aging infrastructure, we have a regulatory climate that continues to provide new regulations on how we do our business, and then we've got the community water supply plan,” Frederick said.

The RWSA currently has $54 million in debt, helping to finance both water and wastewater activities. Fully financing the Community Water Supply would raise that figure substantially.

Right now, the RWSA pays about $3 million in debt service.

No matter which of these scenarios, there will be significant negotiations over the ability to borrow funding. Assuming an annual inflation rate of 2.8 percent and terms of 30 years at 5.25%, debt service under Scenarios 1 and 2 escalate sharply.

“We anticipate no matter which of these scenarios might be selected, there will be significant negotiations over the ability to borrow funding,” he said.

“When we start talking to finance agencies about how to borrow money, they're going to want guarantees and assurances that we're going to pay back that money, these numbers are going to be big numbers for them to swallow,” he said, predicting difficult negotiations.

“Deciding how to pay for these improvements will not be easy,” said RWSA Chairman Michael Gaffney. “Just as this community pulled together in the selection of the Ragged Mountain alternative, I know our community will once again meet this challenge.”

Phasing of the various improvements will affect how the debt-load will be structured. Frederick presented three scenarios.

• Scenario 1 – build full dam and SFRR pipeline now
• Scenario 2 – build dam in two phases and build SFRR pipeline now
• Scenario 3 – build full dam now and phase SFRR pipeline

All scenarios assume upgrades at the Observatory water treatment plant because of its age.

Frederick said Scenario 1 would build 89 percent of the full community water supply plan in five years – but it would be very expensive. Scenario 2 would be the least expensive option. Scenario 3 would assume construction of the SFRR pipeline within fifteen years.

At least one phase of the Ragged Mountain Reservoir expansion will need to be completed by 2011.
The two existing dams at Ragged Mountain were built in 1885 and 1908, and by state law, they need safety upgrades by 2011. Frederick said repairing the existing dams would not be sufficient. He added that building in two phases might be counter-productive, as the surrounding environment would be disrupted twice, and because the first phase would need be built to at least 42 feet. The second phase would only be to construct an additional 3 feet, and Frederick said that would not be cost effective.

After Frederick's presentation, the public had the chance to ask questions and make comments. Many sidestepped the financial discussions to ask about the plan itself.  Why is the Ragged Mountain expansion so high? If fully built, will the area ever be put under drought restrictions again?

Frederick said the dam expansion will allow the RWSA to maintain federally mandated safe yield requirements, and while capacity would be increased, Frederick said he could not guarantee that restrictions would never be necessary.

Barry Hutton of Keswick wanted to know how the plan would address storage capacity. Currently, the urban water system can contain can handle an annual demand of 10.6 MGD, stored in three reservoirs which can have a full capacity of 1.6 billion gallons of water. Frederick said when the community water supply plan is fully implemented, there will be enough capacity for 2.7 billion gallons.

One person asked how much rates would increase to help pay for the plan. Frederick responded that the RWSA does not set the rates paid by homes and businesses. The RWSA has two customers – the City of Charlottesville and the Albemarle County Service Authority – and that they will have to determine what exact rate to set. Another person followed up and asked if it was assumed that increased debt service would be covered by ratepayers. Frederick said he would prefer if the RWSA not get involved in discussions about retail rates, but that the cost of implementing the community water supply plan  would likely raise rates.

Former City Planning Commissioner Betty Mooney said she represents the Friends of the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, a group that is planning a campaign to fight the expansion. “Our group feels that City residents have had inadequate time to respond to the loss of this land,” she said. “Why would a City resident support a plan that takes away 142 acres of City-owned land?” Mooney said City residents have not had the chance to weigh in at a public hearing. Several other city residents also expressed their opposition.

City resident Jack Brown suggested a more suitable option for the community would be to dredge the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir to add more capacity. That option was previously ruled out, in part because of the high costs.  Dredging at South Fork is anticipated by some analysts to be more cost effective after the community water supply plan is fully implemented and the reservoir can be lowered.

City Resident DeDe Smith suggested that poor City residents will unfairly bear the cost of growth through higher water rates.

Keswick resident Jim Colbaugh said he was in support of scenario 3, but said that he wasn't as concerned about when the construction of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir pipeline would occur. “New customers [have to] pay their fair share of these future growth costs,” he said. Colbaugh suggested that the ACSA and the City of Charlottesville can also pass on some of the cost through higher connection fees.

Local water activist John Martin commended the RWSA for the Plan, but said that the real discussion about financing needed to be held during a special meeting of the City Council, the Board of Supervisors, the ACSA and the RWSA.

“For whatever reason, a meeting of the four boards has never come about. This meeting is a substitute. This is not a town meeting in New Hampshire. While we in this room are capable of making decisions on financing the future water supply by ourselves, that's why we elect people to public office.”

Martin then noted that no member of the Charlottesville City Council was present at the meeting, but did acknowledge the presence of Albemarle County Supervisors Ken Boyd and Dennis Rooker.  During the meeting, Supervisor David Wyant and his challenger Ann Mallek were involved in a candidate forum in Crozet.

Ridge Schuyler of the Nature Conservancy noted that water supply issues often can pit people together.
“I think this community really ought to be commended to come up with a plan, that while not perfect, really does address the needs both of the river and the people.” He noted that the flow on the Moormans River will be restored to 90 percent of its original flow after the reservoir is built.  Today a 100-year old pipeline diverts much of the flow of the Moorman’s River from Sugar Hollow to the Ragged Mountain Reservoir.  Without that pipeline as a water source, the Ragged Mountain’s small watershed area would not provide enough water to keep it filled.  The new pipeline proposed in the community water supply plan would replace that source drinking water.

Don Wagner, chair of the Albemarle County Service Authority , said that when upgrades are made to facilities that serve only the County, the rates can be structured so that only County residents pay.

“Any time something new is done, the City and the ACSA sit down and negotiate how much of this is to the benefit of the city, and how much is for the benefit of ACSA customers. And the cost is split between them. For example, the treatment plant out at the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir was enlarged several years ago. And all of the cost of that went to the ACSA, because the ACSA is assuming they're going to have growth and needed capacity. None of the cost of that increase went to City customers whatsoever.”

Wagner continued his explanation of financing by explaining that these capital projects will not be paid for using property taxes.

While the question of financing remains to be answered, the RWSA has begun obtaining the various permits required from the Army Corps of Engineering as well as the State Department of Environmental Quality to proceed with the building of the new dam. Frederick predicts approval by the end of the year.

Anyone with further questions is encouraged to send an e-mail to info@rivanna.org

Sean Tubbs