Boyd Calls Sustainability Initiative “a Cancer”

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 6, 2011 in Government and Politics. 5 Comments

Supervisor Ken Boyd wants the county to sever ties with the Local Governments for Sustainability—a non-profit group that helps local governments reduce carbon emissions—because he believes that the county is “being infiltrated” by the group, which is apparently bad because they have “an agenda that is set by an international organization,” making them “a cancer that is infiltrating our local government.” The county spends $1,200/year to be a member of the organization—one of 1,220 local governments across the country who do the same—in exchange for which they receive software to track the county’s reduction in carbon emissions, working towards the goal of an 80% reduction by 2050. Boyd’s opposition apparently has nothing to do with the money, but rather the organization’s goal of reducing carbon emissions within the United Nations’ framework of global reductions in output of the greenhouse gas. Which is apparently bad. Sean Tubbs explains all of this for Charlottesville Tomorrow—or at least recounts it. There’s really no explaining it. The matter is due to be taken up in a work session next month.

My best guess is that this is a bit of dog-whistle politics for local Tea Party members. As a group, they’re fundamentally opposed to government—the United Nations is public enemy #1 to them—and they likewise believe that climate change is some sort of an elaborate hoax. But that only makes sense if Boyd is seeking reelection. He’s up for reelection this year, but it was just a year ago when he said that “this is going to be [his] last term on the Board of Supervisors.” Which leaves the possibility that he actually believes what he’s saying.

Albemarle Adjusts District Boundaries

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 4, 2011 in Government and Politics. Closed

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors signed off on some shifts of the magisterial district boundaries, Brandon Shulleeta writes for the Progress, moving thousands of people into new districts. Though there are some small changes just north and south of Charlottesville, the big changes are down around Scottsville and towards Crozet. The changes are based on new census data, intended to balance the populations of the county’s Board of Supervisors districts. What with the entire history of Virginia up until around 1965, this plan has to by OKd by the Department of Justice before it can become official. That should happen in time for November’s election to be based on the new boundaries.

City Seizing Land for Hillsdale Connector

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 2, 2011 in Business, Development, Government and Transportation. 5 Comments

City Council has voted 3-1 to seize land next to Kmart to build the Hillsdale Connector, Graham Moomaw reports for the Progress, though they’d be seizing the land from a developer who wants it to be seized.

It was six years ago when Council approved the construction of the local-traffic-only road to parallel Route 29, and three years ago when it emerged that the road wouldn’t happen until 2014, at the earliest. Two years ago Regal announced that their four-screen theater behind Kmart would become a nine-screen, stadium-seating theater, something that there has been no apparent progress on, and that some folks speculated might have really been intended to ratchet up the value of the land in case things came to eminent domain proceedings.

What the city wants is that new, little road that’s between Kmart and the under-construction Whole Foods, so that they can run it past Kmart and through Seminole Square. That’s a total of an acre and a half. The developer who owns the land agreed to build the road to state standards, be reimbursed by the city, and then turn it over to the city, which would turn it into the Hillsdale Connector. But Kmart sued the developer, saying that they’ve leased the land and the developer doesn’t get to sell it. The city’s planned eminent domain proceedings are presumably intended to accelerate the process, either by “seizing” it (from a willing party—the developer) to obviate the lawsuit, or to persuade Kmart to drop their suit and make eminent domain unnecessary.

Councilor Holly Edwards was the lone dissenting vote; Mayor Dave Norris did not vote, because he is out of the country on city business.

Things Looking Bad for the County Fair this Year

Published by Waldo Jaquith on April 26, 2011 in Development and Entertainment. 19 Comments

The Albemarle County Fair can’t seem to find a suitable home, Brandon Shulleeta writes in the Daily Progress, and odds are slim that they’ll be able to have a fair this year—or, indeed, ever, if they can’t find a place to hold it. For years it’s been held on Fred Scott’s land down in North Garden, at Bundoran Farm, but now that the property has been developed, that leaves fair organizers without a physical space to have the annual summer event.

Grandfather and Grandson on the Scrambler

A proper, agriculturally oriented county fair has a permanent home—a few sheds, some covered picnic shelters/performance venues, some administrative space, and a whole lot of relatively flat, open space for parking, games, rides, displays, etc. And that’s exactly what fair organizers are looking for, defining “permanent” as “20-plus years,” needing at least sixty acres. Although Biscuit Run is a distant possibility as a location, that’s far from a done deal.

Unless somebody steps forward ASAP, summer’s going to be rather less exciting this year, and a whole lot of 4-H kids are going to be mighty disappointed to have no place to show—and sell—the prize livestock that they’ve spent months raising expressly for the Albemarle County Fair.

Emerald Ash Borer Traps Hanging from Area Trees

Published by Waldo Jaquith on April 25, 2011 in General News. 6 Comments
Emerald Ash Borer Trap

If you haven’t seen these purple triangular tubes swaying from trees on the roadside yet, you will. Curious, I looked into it, and they turn out to be insect traps. The emerald ash borer—a non-native species—threatens to lay waste to our ash trees, having killed some thirty million thus far, and agriculture departments throughout the country are trying to figure out what sort of a problem they’re facing. These traps don’t necessarily mean that the borer is a problem, just that officials are investigating. When you see them, just leave them alone and hope for the best.

For more information, here’s a Kansas newspaper article on the topic.

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