Cville Tomorrow News

Now what? As the Landmark lies dormant, what's next?

4/30/09 * The Hook [full story]

The Big Sleep: Workers began boarding up the Landmark Hotel in April, which the city is now treating as an "abandoned structure."

"We will treat it as we do any abandoned structure and keep an eye on it for any code issues," Charlottesville planning chief Jim Tolbert said when asked if the city had any safety concerns about the unfinished Landmark hotel. "We've also asked that it be boarded up."

Indeed, just like an abandoned building, workers began boarding up the side of the hotel with plywood in late March leaving many to wonder what will happen to the building if it remains abandoned for years.

New planning district head named

4/30/09 * The Hook [full story]

Steve Williams will man the helm of the five-county Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. He brings 25 years of experience from California, Iowa and most recently, New Hampshire, and is undeterred by Virginia’s miserly reputation for transportation funding. “There are 50 states with reputations of not funding transportation,” he says. Unlike his predecessor, Harrison Rue, Williams promises not to break in song about traffic. But if he buys into public transit-bereft Crozet, Williams will be commuting by car.

Scenic Rivanna: It’s official

4/30/09 * The Hook [full story]

One of the many bills passed by the General Assembly this year was SB957, which adds nearly 10 miles of the Rivanna River below the South Fork dam to the state’s list of scenic rivers. The demise of the Woolen Mills dam aided the designation, because scenic rivers can’t be impeded, nor can another dam be built, says Southern Environmental Law’s Kay Slaughter, who pushed for the official stamp.

Missing link: State Farm gift connects Albemarle trail

4/30/09 * The Hook [full story]

The little-known Old Mills Trail soon will become a viable path from Darden Towe Park to Shadwell with the Earth Day dedication of a half-mile section of land along the Rivanna River donated by State Farm Insurance.

“This is an important piece because it connects the hospital,” says Albemarle Supervisor Ken Boyd April 22 at the Pantops site neighboring the under-construction Martha Jefferson Hospital. “Ultimately we’d like to connect it with Monticello,” he says.

Carnival ousted from park?

4/30/09 * The Hook [full story]

NBC29 has a report that suggests yet another big change at McIntire Park: the alleged departure of the Dogwood Festival Carnival. First, softball was ousted and then saved. Then, wading was ousted and then saved. However, according to acting City Parks manager Brian Daly, the ouster will last just one season to allow for construction of a YMCA.

Waste woes: Authority trims recycling, eyes deficits

4/30/09 * The Hook [full story]

With revenues slammed by an ailing economy and a thriving private competitor, the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority will begin closing the popular McIntire Recycling Center on Mondays as part of an effort to rein in expenses.

“In order to deal with some of those reductions in revenue, we have cut operational expenses 17 percent,” explained Waste Authority financial manager Lonnie Wood, filling in for executive director Tom Frederick, who was reportedly out sick Monday, April 27, when the board publicly heard the news. “We just went line by line.”

Orchard owner cleans up dump

4/30/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

Crown Orchard has cleaned up 69 tons of debris that constituted an illegal dumpsite near Batesville, according to Albemarle County officials.

The county this morning said its meeting with orchard property owner Henry Chiles and the state Department of Environmental Quality on Wednesday was productive, with Chiles “polite and cordial” as well as “working diligently to cooperate and remedy the identified problem areas.“

City proposes increase in water, sewer rates

4/30/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

Charlottesville’s water and sewer rates for consumers are proposed to rise only nominally next year, even though the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority is set to increase sharply what it charges the city government.

According to figures released Wednesday, the average city household water bill is proposed to go from $32.92 to $33.33 per month, an increase of roughly 1.25 percent. The average household sewer bill is projected to increase from $30.57 to $31.77, an increase of 3.93 percent.

Water and sewer bills for Charlottesville retail customers are set to go up slightly more — the average water bill would go from $45.97 to $46.57 per month, or 1.31 percent more, and the sewer bill would rise from $42.57 to $44.30, or 4.06 percent.

City transit system offering free service

4/29/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

The Charlottesville Transit Service will offer free service Friday as part of the area’s Clean Commute Day.

Sponsored by RideShare, JAUNT, CTS, the University Transit Service and Greene County Transit, Clean Commute Day encourages commuters to use a different transportation option for at least one day, as opposed to driving alone.

Rivanna mulls cutting recycling center hours

4/29/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority is considering closing the McIntire Recycling Center on Mondays to help absorb a decline in revenue.

“McIntire revenues are down because of the economy,” said Lonnie Wood, director of finance and administration for the authority. “The market prices for paper and metal are way down over last year.”

Wood said that though the center “is very busy all of the time,” Monday is one of the least busy days. The closed day would also give employees time to empty recycling containers, because the bins are often full by the end of weekends, he said.