UTS has set up their own bus-tracking system, which includes a website that works on all browsers, and even has a mobile phone version. UTS and CTS used the same vendor for their projects. #
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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I am willing to speculate that UTS had savvy employees overseeing their project and the City hasn’t. That way, the vendor can charge again for a change order and continue to milk the city from what seems to be a bottomless pit. Remember, the City’s staff worked on an HP 3000 which they had at least going back to 1980. This type of billing is what keeps the vendors going during lean times. It sure helped the company I once worked for. It’s my understanding that the vendor has had to get rid of one subcontractor and hire another at the City’s expense. Bad contract negotiations by the City with no strings on its purse.
A more likely explanation is the tech staff. The city has only a few programmers on staff at any given time, while the university has hundreds. It’s no problem for the university to throw an employee at a project like this for a few weeks, while it’s much more difficult for the city to do that.
I agree that UVA has hundreds and the sense to listen to their suggestions. Technically, the City’s staff is not assigned to the installation. The City is paying the vendors and their subcontracted laborers. Occasionally, I see where the City advertises on its job listings page for potential employees for the vendor. Gary O’Connell just informed Council that there will be additional hiring by the vendors, to work on what exactly, I have no idea. It is clear, however, that the City is not up on this technology, although it has been using GIS for some time. That’s why the staff in NDS is still proposing that the City spend $1M on a new “system” of signs to get people in and around town. If you’re downtown any time soon, could you stop and show them how your iPhone works? Maybe one of them will be so grateful, he’ll take you to lunch while you bring him into the 21st century. If you take Dug1138(?) with you, maybe he’ll kick in dessert.