Tag: 22932

Posted on

Tracking Community Engagement – Poop Matters

It’s always fun to look at the traffic and engagement on posts on the RealCrozetVA Facebook page. I put things there and on Twitter sometimes that may not warrant a full blog post here.

For example –

A call for live-tweeters of the CCAC meeting – 343 reached in the lifecycle of the post.

Someone pooped in the pool? – 1,909. In three hours. So far. Update 25 June, 6:45 am – 2,566 Reached.

Looking at the Facebook traffic page:

RealCrozetVA-2.jpg

Apparently, poop matters.

Note – I’m hoping to get similar engagement when I post the interview tonight with incoming WAHS principal, Dr. John Werner. 🙂

Posted on

Environmental Studies Academy at WAHS

Nice.

Charlottesville Tomorrow reports:

Beginning in the late summer of 2014, Western Albemarle High School will play host to a new Environmental Studies Academy.

“This truly is an exciting development for our school and our community,” WAHS principal Dave Francis said in an Albemarle County Public Schools press release.  “Our objective for all students is to prepare them for post-graduate success in colleges and universities and in high-value professional fields….[T]his academy will position students for that success.”

All 9-12 graders in Albemarle County will be eligible to apply for the Academy. In the first year, there will be approximately 25 seats.  The specifics of the admissions process remain to be completed.

Ed Sykes at NBC29 has more as well.

This sounds like a very good start to making WAHS more competitive.

Posted on

Crozet Safety Corps Meeting – 10 June 2013

via email from Tom Loach – (bolding mine)

I received the following from the police Department describing a crime problem in Crozet. Jim Crosby and I have been working to establish what we call the Crozet Safety Corps and will be having a meeting at the fire house Monday, June 10th at 7:30. At that meeting will be Officer Andy Gluba, who is a Crime Prevention Officer and will speak on the subject of setting up Community Safety Groups in Crozet. Our group will also be looking at the subject of Emergency Preparedness. We have set up a web site: www.crozetsafetycorps.org. I hope any members of the community who are interested in joining us or would just like to hear from our police department will attend?.

?I wanted to let you know that the Crozet area has been experiencing a rash of vehicle break-ins over the past three and half weeks specifically in the Wickham Pond/Old Trail area. We have also experienced a rash of vehicle break-ins in the Ivy Road area specifically in the Canterbury Road area. It does not appear that the vehicle break-ins in the Ivy area are related to the Crozet area break-ins. I want to reassure you that we are aware of the problems and have dedicated the resources to hopefully apprehend the offenders.?

?Please communicate with your neighbors and friends that live in these area, to lock their car doors and secure all valuables before they go in for the night. The suspect(s) appear to be entering vehicles that have been left unlocked and have small amounts of cash and electronics left in the vehicles. Please let everyone know to be diligent in calling the police department should they see anyone in the neighborhoods late at night that should not be there. It appears that the suspect(s) are roaming the neighborhoods after midnight to about 5:00 a.m. in the mornings.?

?Thank you for getting this information out to your community members.?

??Lieutenant Greg Jenkins?Blue Ridge District Commander

We seem to get rashes of break-ins every once in a while. Dammit.

Posted on

Crozet Independence Day Parade and Fireworks – 2013

So … last year’s parade and fireworks were canceled by the derecho, so let’s make this year’s that much better!

The Crozet Fire Department is once again organizing the Crozet Parade – (bolding mine) ?

This year the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department Independence Day parade will be held at 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 6, 2013. Lineup will begin at 3:00 P.M. at Crozet Elementary School and end at Claudius Crozet Park. The theme for the parade will be, “America the Beautiful!” There will be field judging for Fire & Rescue apparatus at Claudius Crozet Park after the parade. Awards will be presented at 8:00 P.M. Food, beverages, and other festivities to include a softball game between the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department and the Peachtree Ball Coaches will immediately follow the parade. Fireworks begin at dark.? ?If you would like to be a part of the 2013 parade, please email: [email protected] for access to a Parade Entry Form. Please include in your email the following:

– Participating organization/Group
– Phone number
– Name and email of contact person

Once we receive this information, we will send you a link to the electronic Parade Entry Form.

Please submit your entry by June 15th to ensure you are included in the lineup.

Thanks, Crozet Fire Department and organizers!

Posted on

Count the Train Day in Crozet – 31 May 2013

Twitter _ Search - #CrozetTrain.jpg

I’m always asked “how often does the train run in Crozet?” … and my answer always is “so often I don’t pay attention to it except when it’s not running.”

That said, I’m going to do a “count the trains in Crozet” day this Friday. I have no idea what the schedules are, but I’m going to try to count them this Friday. So if you’re around and thinking about it, please comment here what kind of train, whether it’s freight or passenger, whether it seems heavy or light, and which direction it’s going. If nothing else, hopefully this will be a fun experiment in crowd-sourcing local information.

If you’re on Facebook, post on the RealCrozetVA Facebook stream (I’ll schedule a post to publish there at midnight Thursday) – and please use the #CrozetTrain hashtag

If you visit the RealCrozetVA blog, please comment here.

If you’re on Twitter post something like – Train! Freight – West – light – long – 11:13 am – #CrozetTrain

Train -vs- tree
Posted on

Crozet Triathlon – 16 June 2013

While I’ve shifted most of the Crozet Calendar/happenings to the Crozet Calendar section of RealCrozetVA, the Crozet Triathlon is really interesting. My little one did the Dogwood Duathlon this past weekend (for the 2nd time) and had a blast. I wondered on Twitter if Crozet could do one, and I was quickly told that yes, not only can we, but we are.

So … Check out the Field School’s sponsorship of the Crozet Triathlon on 15 June. Note that this cool flyer was designed by Crozet’s Allie Pesch.

Crozet Triathlon

Posted on

Be Patient on 64 & 250 This Week

Update 2 May 2013 – Repairs are set to last through 9 May.

—

Be patient again this week on 64 and 250 in and out of Crozet …

from VDOT’s site –

– Intermittent traffic restrictions on Interstate 64 between Charlottesville and Waynesboro will resume next week during operations to remove unstable soil from Afton Mountain above the highway at milepost 100.3 in Albemarle County.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 29, traffic on I-64 will be restricted in both directions for 30-45 minutes. The restrictions will continue through the day, ending between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The westbound right shoulder will be closed and work zone activity will begin at 7 a.m. each day but traffic will not be restricted before 9 a.m. The work is expected to continue through Thursday, May 2.

The restrictions will affect traffic from Exit 107 (Route 250/Rockfish Gap Turnpike) at Crozet to Exit 96 (Route 624/S. Delphine Avenue) at Waynesboro. Drivers should expect significant congestion and delays; passenger vehicles are encouraged to use Route 250 as an alternate route. Message boards along I-64 will advise motorists of the closures and expected congestion in the area.

Motorists should check VDOT’s traffic information web site, www.511virginia.org, or call 511 for real-time information about traffic conditions and delays.

Posted on

Crozet Real Estate Market – Conflicting Numbers, Fast Contracts, Not enough Inventory

If you were to look at just the data, you’d think the Crozet real estate market is worse this year than last. Anecdotally and practically though, you’d be wrong. (talk to anyone currently looking for a home in Crozet between $300k and $500k) Or ask me.

In the first four and a half months of 2012, 166 homes came on the market in Crozet. This year, 177 came on the market. (inventory is up)

Last year, 83 homes went under contract. This year, 94 went under contract. (comparing 1/1/12-4/22/12 to this year, the numbers are 89 to 99, respectively) (More homes are selling)

Last year, 54 homes sold. This year, that number is 49. (Let’s call that a push)

But … Of the 99 homes that have gone under contract this year … 44 had days on market of less than 7! 54 had days on market of less than 30. 37 had days on market of less than 3.

So. What in the world do those numbers mean? They’re a perfect representation of how numbers can be deceiving.

In a nutshell – here’s what I’m seeing in the Crozet real estate market right now:

– Great homes are selling fast.

– There aren’t enough quality homes on the market to satisfy the demand of buyers.

– There’s a pile of new construction coming to Crozet – Foothill Crossing, Wickham Pond, Old Trail, Grayrock North (West), Westlake (behind Westhall), Foxchase Landing … and a lot of my clients are shunning said new construction for existing homes because they want something less generic. (a lot are choosing new, but I’m seeing a shift I haven’t previously seen)

– If you’re thinking about selling your home in Crozet, now would be a good time to do so. If you’ve been underwater, you might not be. Seriously.

– If you’re thinking about buying a home in Crozet, be prepared for quality inventory to move. Fast.

– We’re nearing the end of the traditional peak time for new homes to come on the market; most buyers in our area tend to want to either close around the end of the school year or the start of the school year …

I’m embedding some market summary reports below. Please do let me know what questions you have … also keep in mind that even though I’m writing about the Crozet real estate market, individual neighborhood trends are different – both different scales (Old Trail vs everything else) and quality.

Disclosure: I’m a real estate agent. This is a post to inform readers about the state of the Crozet real estate market. It’s not specifically written in order to advertise or solicit business, but I certainly would not dissuade potential buyers, sellers, curious readers from contacting me with questions or if they are seeking buyer or seller representation.

Continue reading “Crozet Real Estate Market – Conflicting Numbers, Fast Contracts, Not enough Inventory”

Posted on

WAHS Academy?

Monticello High School and Albemarle High School both have academies … time for WAHS to step up.

From Albemarle County Schools:

A faculty committee at Western Albemarle High School has been working this year to explore possibilities of academy models that might be a good fit for the school. The group has visited several schools with academies (specialty centers) and has researched many others. Full faculty discussion has taken place about various ideas. At this point, five areas of interest have tentatively been identified. The goal for this year is to narrow the focus to one model which will provide quality learning experiences that appeal to a broad segment of the student body. If this is accomplished then school year 2013-14 would be a planning year with the goal of implementation the following year. Input from stakeholders is vital to this process. For this purpose, we are asking you to read and complete this survey which includes brief descriptions for each area currently under consideration. This can hopefully be done as a joint effort between parents and their student(s).
 

The survey window will close at noon on Friday, March 29th.

 
In order to participate, click on this link.