Don’t Speed on Crozet Avenue

Ever, really, but especially now.

via email –

Increased Enforcement Scheduled to Cut Down on Speeding

Please be advised that as a result of continued speeding through the Crozet Streetscape / Crozet Avenue construction zone, Albemarle County Police will be increasing their patrol of the area. The objective is to encourage safe speeds in the construction zone and help insure the safety of both the workers and motorists in the area.

Help the Crozet Trails Crew this Weekend

The work of the Crozet Trails Crew is truly one of the Crozet’s great assets*

and this weekend provides a great opportunity to help maintain the trail and meet some of your neighbors!

This Saturday is an all-hands-on-deck workday at Crozet Park. There will be several projects going on, but the CTC will be working to clear mass amounts of weedy, viney vegetation from the area adjacent to the trail near the lower baseball field. The workday is 8am-4pm, but I suspect the Crew will mainly be working 9am-12 or 1pm. If anyone wants to come for a later shift, let me know and we’ll make sure to overlap some. wear long pants and long sleeves. If you know you are going to come, (lunch) is provided if you register here.

The Spring Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival is scheduled for May 10-11– The Crozet Trails Crew has been asked to assist with Friday evening set-up (May 9) and Sunday evening clean up (May 11). Please see if those spots work for you. If not, please sign up for something else; there are many fun options! You can volunteer at Sign-Up Genius.

ALSO ON MAY 10th:

Crozet Running is putting on a FREE (yes, you read that right) 5k Trail Run at Mint Springs and have asked the Crozet Trails Crew to support this event by providing volunteers. See the website with registration AND the volunteer sign up.

Continue reading “Help the Crozet Trails Crew this Weekend”

Streetscape Update – 21 April 2014

So far, I’d say the traffic disruptions from the Streetscape project have been relatively minimal. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx us all.

via email:

In the next two weeks, improvements between Tabor Street and Library Avenue should be close to 90% complete on the east side of Crozet Avenue. These improvements include curbing, sidewalks, bio-filters, retaining wall, and final grading.

The storm sewer system on the east side of Crozet Avenue has been installed to the Region Ten building. The final section of the storm sewer system, from the Region Ten building to the State Farm building, will be installed after the work in front of the library is complete, which is anticipated in roughly two weeks.

A lane closure on Crozet Avenue is anticipated in approximately two weeks in order to install a new sanitary sewer main.

Tabor Street is complete with final striping to occur within the next week.

For more information on the Crozet Streetscape project, visit www.albemarle.org/crozetstreetscape.

CCAC Recap 4-14-14 – Growth, no growth, misinformation and high hopes

CCAC 4-14-14 – a three hour meeting, filled with tons of good information. Click through, scroll to the end of the tweets summary and get somewhat informed. I collected 152 tweets with the hashtag for this CCAC meeting, #CCAC0414. A couple comments:

– Thanks to the CCAC members for their volunteering.

– Thanks to the members of the public for attending. Please go next time, too.

– Update on the Barnes Lumberyard was interesting.

– The discussion on the brewery was frustrating.

– The Crozet Master Plan needs to be a guide; it was completed in a different world, a different economy, a different time.

– Growth is coming to Crozet; if the Crozet community doesn’t start to say “yes” to encourage some growth downtown, we aren’t likely to have the luxury to pick and choose when the time comes.

– It’s time for Crozet and Albemarle County to define what businesses they want. You can say no only so many times before businesses will stop asking.

– Retail and cute stores are neat and we all like them, but they’re generally low-paying and don’t offer the ladder career opportunities (like, say, a brewery or other large employer would). Continue reading “CCAC Recap 4-14-14 – Growth, no growth, misinformation and high hopes”

CCAC Meeting Thursday, 17 April 2014

via email: (bolding mine) — Who wants to come and live-tweet the meeting with me? It’s harder to go to meetings than it is to type, but it’s worthwhile .

CROZET COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL

Thursday, April 17, 2014 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Meadows, Crozet (5735 Meadows Dr.)

1. Agenda Review. (Meg Holden – CCAC chair)

2. Approval of Minutes from March 20, 2014 meeting.

3. Project Updates/Information:

– Library updates, fundraising, operation hours, and moving our meeting to that location– Bill Schrader.

– Streetscape issues, if there are any.

– Update on Rutherford Hotel in Old Trail.

– AHIP presentation.

Barnes Lumber company project as it relates to Frank Stoner’s responses – Claudette Grant (to read the full instructions, read the PDF – editing them for this blog post would have been too time intensive) (PDF)

— Go to: http://countyviewweb.albemarle.org/

— Click on the box that says: “View Selected Planning Application”

— Make sure the “Search By:” box says: “Web Planning Application Number”.

–In the PL Application Application Number Is exactly: box type: SP201400001 down to see what they wrote and download any document they included.

–And click on the green “Go” button. (to read the full instructions, read the PDF – editing them for this blog post would have been too time intensive) (PDF )

– Discuss having our next meeting be an open discussion of the types of businesses we want to see in Crozet and where to find them – engaging the community- maybe even meet at Old Trail

4. News concerning area schools which affects development area, budget impacts, make-up snow days, etc.

5. Items not listed on the agenda.

6. Announcements.

7. Future Agenda Items.

——-

Per the discussion as to what businesses Crozet needs, you might find this discussion from 2011 interesting. Related: What is Crozet’s Daytime Population?

Crozet Farmer’s Market Opens 3 May 2014

via the Crozet Gazette

The 2014 Crozet Farmers Market will open Saturday, May 3, in its traditional location, the now-renovated parking lot of Crozet United Methodist Church (CUMC). The Crozet market is a growers/producers market that gives vendors the opportunity to sell their locally grown produce and handcrafted goods to the public. Market hours are 8 a.m. till noon every Saturday through mid-October.

Sweet.

Update: 5 reasons to go the farmers’ market on opening day. All good reasons.

“How Does your Garden Grow” Lecture Series

Two interesting lectures coming up – 15 April and 22 April.

The Crozet Farmers Market in association with the Crozet United Methodist Church (CUMC) will host a gardening lecture series, “How Does Your Garden Grow” to benefit the Food Pantry. Al Minutolo, Manager of the Crozet Market has brought together expert gardeners Peter Hatch, Director of Gardens and Grounds Emeritus, Monticello and Lesley Sewell, Certified Landscape Designer, Arborist and Adjunct Professor of Horticulture, J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College to share their gardening knowledge and experience with you on a variety of topics.

The lectures are for new and old gardeners alike, as gardening is a lifetime experience of enjoyment and good health. In recent years, vendor fees from the Farmers Market have been donated to the Food Pantry. In 2013, the Market donated $750.00 to the food pantry and soup program conducted by churches in the Crozet community.

Also, Crozet Trails Crew workday and an art show at the Art Box.

* If you’d like to add something to the Crozet Calendar, please let me know.

WAHS Leadership Program Facing Cuts?

The Albemarle County School budget seems to face budget deficits every year; this year is no exception. What are the other cuts at Western that are likely or being proposed?

Now I’m curious – what else is being cut at WAHS next year? It seems Leadership is one of those programs that should be kept, nurtured and grown rather than cut.

“The Western Albemarle High School Leadership program is facing a major cut from the WAHS administration. Currently, the administration is proposing that the program be cut from three classes to two. This means that there will be one “early bird” class and one class during the regular day, and both classes will have about 30 students. The proposal would result in the elimination of one regular day class.”

Update: Pay attention, folks.

Crozet Streetscape Groundbreaking 1 April at Noon

I know … ground has already broken, but still …(bolding mine)

COUNTY TO BREAK GROUND ON CROZET STREETSCAPE PROJECT AT APRIL 1 CEREMONY

Albemarle County officials including Supervisor Ann Mallek will join Crozet residents and business owners at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Crozet Streetscape project on Tuesday, April 1, at noon on Crozet Avenue in front of the new Crozet Library.

The new streetscape enhancements will improve Crozet Avenue to Tabor Street, including sidewalks, street trees, pedestrian/street lighting, crosswalks, and bio-filters. The streetscape project is an essential step in achieving the goals of the Crozet Master Plan by improving pedestrian connectivity within downtown Crozet, providing economic benefits and increased vitality for business owners, balancing the needs of all users including vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and aesthetically enhancing the entry way and main thoroughfare of downtown.