Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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Dennis Rooker on Development

Published by Waldo Jaquith on September 21, 2005 in Development. 26 Comments

Jim Duncan makes a great observation:

Referencing Old Trail in Crozet –

‘No plan is perfect, but it’s probably the best plan I’ve seen,’ Supervisor Dennis S. Rooker said. When a citizen addressed the familiar concern that the Crozet area and the 250 Bypass will sprawl and become the next Route 29N or Pantops, Rooker responded, ‘Houses don’t create people. They’ll come whether or not the houses are here.’ –courtesy of this week’s C-Ville.

If they don’t build the houses, where would they live?

Yeah, what Jim said.

Elected School Board Discussion

Published by Waldo Jaquith on September 20, 2005 in Education and Politics. Closed

Last Saturday morning, the Charlottesville Democratic Party held a discussion on the merits of moving to an elected school board. Participants included school board member Muriel Wiggins, Councilor Kevin Lynch, UVa history professor (and elected school board advocate) Jeff Rossman, county school board member Steve Koleszar, and UVa professor William Lucy. Sean Tubbs recorded the proceedings, and has a podcast up on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network.

The question of whether Charlottesville should move from an appointment to an elected school board will be on the ballot on November 8th. It’s likely to pass.

Ivy Landfill Leaking

Published by Waldo Jaquith on September 20, 2005 in General News. 2 Comments

Remember those mid-90s bumper stickers: “Kill the fill or drink the swill”? It turns out we got both. The Ivy Landfill was closed down in 1995, but today John Yellig writes in the Progress that the Rivanna Solid Waste Foundation has discovered that the landfill’s drainage system is failing. As much as 47M gallons of liquid has pooled in the landfill, rather than draining out to be treated. If enough pools in one place, it could tear through the landfill’s lining, pouring out the swill in question.

It will cost millions to clean up. It’s just not clear how to go about it, or who is going to foot the bill.

UVa Preservationist Named MacArthur Fellow

Published by Waldo Jaquith on September 20, 2005 in UVa. Closed

UVa rare book preservationist Terry Belanger has been named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This is perhaps better known as receiving a “genius grant.” He’s one of 25 who will receive $500,000 over the next five years to spend however they like, no strings attached, in recognition of his talent, dedication, and “extraordinary originality.” Belanger is the creator of the Rare Book School, a non-profit within UVa that gives students hands-on experience with early bookmaking and the study of the history of the written word.

The last local to receive a MacArthur fellowship was UVa epidemiologist Janine Jagger, back in 2002, described at the time by the foundation as “a leader in the design and dissemination of means and strategies to protect health care workers from the transmission of bloodborne disease.”

Melanie Mayhew has the story in today’s Daily Progress.

Radio IQ Expands Coverage

Published by Waldo Jaquith on September 18, 2005 in Meta News. 8 Comments

WVTF‘s RadioIQ — which I listen to just about all the time in my car since my iPod died — has expanded their coverage area in C’ville. The BBC news/ NPR talk station used to broadcast just on 89.7FM, and the signal dropped off any distance outside of Charlottesville. With their new transmitter, at 91.5FM, they’ve expanded their coverage, and now I can, happily, listen at home.

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