On the face of it, the fourth and final full week of August seems to be a quiet one. Despite the heat, autumn is in the air and the sun fades earlier and earlier on the long march to the equinox. Public school is starting and Labor Day is two weeks away. Who wants to think about local government? I’m betting that you do, and welcome you to this installment of the Week Ahead newsletter.
Our Region
PEC focuses on nine counties and one city in the northern Piedmont of Virginia: Albemarle, Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock.
We also team with local organizations to promote thriving communities and healthy natural resources in a much larger region, including the Shenandoah Valley, the central Piedmont, and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Corridor. In addition, we are proud to serve as fiscal sponsor of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization that focuses on land use and policy in the greater Washington D.C. area.
Act Now to Clean up Virginia Politics
At 1 p.m. on Monday, a specially-convened committee on campaign finance reform will hold its first-ever meeting. This is your opportunity to tell legislators to enact common sense campaign finance reforms to ensure transparency and protect the integrity of our political system.
Week Ahead for August 16, 2021: Albemarle to review homestay rules; Fluvanna to consider increasing by-right density in R-4 zones
Every week, I spend several hours going through the agenda of every public meeting agenda in the Charlottesville area in order to produce this report. Like every other spot on the globe, this area faces challenges in a changing world where uncertainty is seemingly the only constant. I am aware that many of these topics may seem small at first glance. But I do this work to try to help us all achieve a better place.
Conservation Outcomes from a Speedy Special Session
Well, that was fast! Less than two weeks after gaveling in on Monday, Aug. 2, the Virginia General Assembly concluded its special session on Tuesday, Aug. 10.
Week Ahead for August 9, 2021: Community meetings for two Piedmont Housing projects; Nelson BOS to consider funding for Nelson Heritage Community Center
There are 19 items in today’s installment, and I have a lot more to go through for future editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I do not take it lightly when I say I felt a calling to get back to doing this work when I made the leap of faith to be an independent journalist again. Nothing makes me more easy than taking time off!
New Rappahannock River Kayak/Canoe Launch Now Open in Remington, Ribbon-cutting planned for Aug 14, 2021
Fauquier County’s second Rappahannock River kayak/canoe launch is now open at the Rector Tract, located at the end of River Road in Remington, giving county residents a new public access point to the state-designated scenic river. The timber-framed, concrete staircase, with a wooden slide for hand-launch of non-motorized vessels, was built over five days last week by Brad Mawyer of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Wes Hale and a crew of staff from Fauquier County Parks and Recreation, Maggi Blomstrom of The Piedmont Environmental Council, and three Fauquier County resident volunteers. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Saturday, Aug. 14 at 12 p.m.
New skilled meat cutter training program will help region’s meat processors serve Virginia cattle farmers
A recent study by The Piedmont Environmental Council and American Farmland Trust, spurred by pandemic-related breakdowns in national and local food supply systems, has led to the development of a new meat-cutter training program to be offered by the Rappahannock Center for Education beginning late fall 2021. Using a national training model, the program is intended to help local meat processors expand their operations and increase their capacity to serve the region’s cattle farmers by building a larger pool of available skilled laborers in the field.
Week Ahead for August 2, 2021: City Council recommended to keep meetings virtual for now; TJPDC to adopt regional housing plan
Somehow we find ourselves more than half of the way through 2021, a year in which the pandemic still permeates so much of our lives. Rising numbers of cases in Virginia have many thinking more cautiously about the near future. For instance, Charlottesville City Council will get details about a staff recommendation to not proceed with a once-considered plan to return to normal after Labor Day.
Virginia Should Invest in Parks, Trails and Green Space
Legislators are returning to Richmond at the request of Governor Northam in order to allocate more than $4.3 billion in federal Covid-19 relief funding. Send a letter to your state delegate and senator and ask them to invest in parks, trails and green space, which have proved to be so essential over the past year.
Week Ahead for July 26, 2021: An update on area recycling efforts; Transit expansion in Albemarle
This is the 30th week of the year, and another one in the middle of summer. Judging by the number of out-of-office emails I’ve gotten this month, it seems that many are taking time off from work. This is a highly recommended move!