Category: Politics

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Crozet Update – Safe Routes to School, Library, Streetscape, Jarman’s Gap

Ann Mallek forwarded the following email to me the other day; it contains a lot of good information. What questions do you have for Mrs. Mallek? Will you be asking her these questions on Monday?

Safe routes to school:

The official “kick-off” meeting, required with VDOT, was conducted February 7th ; we have a copy of the fully executed “grant” agreement and notice to proceed. The physical survey has been completed. I was informed that if we want to design in-house (as I had planned) I must submit a “finding of public interest” justification for VDOT approval. We recently completed interviews for our “term” (on-call) contracts for civil engineering and environmental services and will be finalizing our selections this week. I have submitted our procurement process to VDOT to see if it would be acceptable to use one of these “term” contract engineers to prepare the plans. If VDOT says “no” and we decide to use a consultant, then we’ll need to do a separate advertisement for requests for proposals and consultant interviews. It’s unfortunate but it’s all part of the strings (or web) attached to grant funding.

Continue reading “Crozet Update – Safe Routes to School, Library, Streetscape, Jarman’s Gap”

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Tell Ann Mallek What’s on Your Mind

There’s lots going on in Crozet:

– Redevelopment of Barnes’ property
– Sidewalks on Jarman’s Gap
– Walking to School bureaucracy
– Property taxes
– Overcrowding in Schools

If you don’t tell our elected representatives what’s on your mind, rest assured that others, with whom you may not agree, are.

From the Daily Progress:

Albemarle County Police Chief Steve Sellers also plans to be a guest speaker at each of the meetings. Residents will be able to direct questions to both Mallek and Sellers about any topic.

“White Hall district residents are encouraged to join in discussions about our community issues and how to fund our future needs,” Mallek said in a prepared statement.

The meetings are scheduled as follows: 7 p.m. Monday at the White Hall Community Center; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Brownsville Elementary School cafeteria; and 7 p.m. March 16 at the Broadus Wood Elementary School cafeteria. The meetings require no advance registration.

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Closing Jarman’s Gap for the Summer?

Brilliant. I’m no engineer, but I’d wager that they would finish it in a month if they were properly incentivized.

Newsplex reports:

At its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is expected to endorse a resolution supporting the temporary closure of Jarmans Gap Road (Route 691).

The Virginia Department of Transportation has recommended a complete closure of Jarmans Gap Rd. to traffic for approximately 60 days during the construction project to allow for the installation of a precast box culvert at Powell’s Creek.

The road closure would be coordinated with the summertime public school closing, June through August of 2011. VDOT advises that during the school year, Jarmans Gap Rd. will be reduced to one lane of traffic, as necessary. Complete closure of the road would expedite the installation of the culvert and shorten the overall length of the project.

This could be damaging and isolating to Downtown Crozet. On the other hand, it could provide an opportunity to further develop its own identity.

VDOT’s Dashboard for the Jarman’s Gap project.

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Lots of Big Stuff on Tomorrow’s Crozet Community Advisory Council Meeting.

The agenda for the CCAC meeting on 20 January at the Meadows: (bolding mine)

1. Agenda Review (Mike Marshall – CCAC Chair)   
2. Approval of Minutes from November 18, 2010 meeting   
3. Public Comment   

4. Project Updates (Elaine Echols)   
– Wind Turbine at Henley  
– Crozet Station
– Restore-N Station
– West Village (re-submittal)
– Barnes Lumber parcel rezoning to Crozet Downtown District   

5. Street Name Resolution (CCAC)   
6. April Meeting of the Community Advisory Councils (Echols)   
7. Old Business from November meeting: Sub-committees and ombudsmen (CCAC)   
8. Future agenda items (CCAC

The (draft) Minutes from the November meeting, if you’re interested.

This is the part where I beg a government or journalism student at Western Albemarle High school to attend this meeting and write a story for RealCrozetVA … after four years of asking, I’m thinking I shouldn’t hold my breath.

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This Thursday, Ann Mallek will Announce her Candidacy for Re-Election

Via press release:

The district announcement will be at the Crozet Community Association meeting at 7:30 PM, Thursday, at the Old Crozet School auditorium.?

Following the announcement, the candidate will be available for interviews. ?

Ann Mallek has served as the White Hall Supervisor since January 2008. She has focused on representation, hosting fifteen town halls in the three years, listening to and speaking out for citizens in the district. She worked with Crozet residents on passage of the downtown zoning district and the successful revision of the master plan that protects the character of their small town. She led ordinance changes for off-farm sales for farmers. In April, 2010, citizens in the northern end of the district celebrated the opening of the new Advance Mills Bridge, reuniting the community and providing timely emergency medical and fire services to residents north of the river.
Mallek pushed for emphasis on locally owned enterprises and rural economic success in the newly adopted Economic Vitality Plan. In 2011 the review of the comprehensive plan will need the attention of all residents to discuss regulations for bed and breakfasts, historic tourism and other topics.?Mallek assures her voters, “open government is not a slogan but a way of life.”

I know this – when I call Ann, she answers and listens. That’s pretty much all I can ask of any politician. More power to her for running again.

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What is Steve Landes Up to?

Update 4 January 2011: Thanks to Kim’s comment, I called Mr. Landes’ office and confirmed that he will be holding a town hall meeting this Saturday at The Meadows from noon to 1:30. This would be an excellent opportunity for an enterprising journalism or government student from WAHS to write a guest post for me. (but I’m not holding my breath)

Get your browsers, email clients and phones ready – the Virginia General Assembly will be back in session in 9 days.

The 2011 Virginia General Assembly session will convene on January 12, 2011, and is scheduled to run for 45 days. Here you can learn about and track the fate of the thousands of bills that will be proposed, voted on, and the few that ultimately become law.

Some of the bills are inane, some seem to be designed to implement gridlock, some are a waste of taxpayers’ time and money, and some will absolutely, positively affect your daily lives if they were to become law.

I’ll be primarily tracking bills that focus on real estate, but tend to watch bills that touch privacy, governmental interference and other bills that interest me. And hopefully one focusing specifically on single agent dual agency.

I tend to look at the newest bills every day or two, but so long as you’re looking and letting your legislators know that you’re watching them. The lobbyists are spending piles and piles of money; all we have are our phone calls. (for the life of me, I can’t figure out this bill’s purpose)

While you’re spending time at Richmond Sunlight reading about the bills our legislator, Steve Landes is filing , head over to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) to see who’s giving him money. (note: the “Map Donations” tool is mighty cool).

Be aware, be informed and be willing to express your voice and opinion. If you don’t, your complaining means less.

Note: contact Mr. Landes, from his last email newsletter:

Remember you can reach us here in the District Office at 540.245.5540 and our fax number is
540.248.8434. You may also contact me by sending a letter to P.O. Box 12, Verona, Virginia
24482, or you can still contact us by sending an email to [email protected]

* originally posted at RealCentralVA.com and edited for RealCrozetVA.com.