City Council Meeting   9/8/2009

Pretty full.

Do something else.

That's the public matter.

Well, I'm not sure of the...

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

In the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Ms. Kochis, can you call the roll please?

Here.

Here.

Yes.

Here.

Here.

Thank you all.

We're going to start with a few announcements.

First of all, I want to make sure everybody is aware about the annual concert for peace on September 11th, Downtown, Friday, September 11th, 2009, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Central Place on the Downtown Mall.

featuring Lawrence Elder, the John Lyon Band, the Music Resource Center, and special performances by wordsmith pilots and the Albemarle High School Vocal Jazz Choir.

Please come down for this very special community event.

There will be a community jog fair Tuesday, October 20th.

from 10am to 3pm at John Paul Jones Arena.

Over 60 employers seeking qualified job candidates, free admission, free parking.

This is a great opportunity to find out about jobs that are available in our community.

Again, Tuesday, October 20th from 10am to 3pm at JPJ Arena at UVA.

This year, Government Services Day is taking place on Friday, October 2nd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the downtown mall.

It's a great opportunity to learn about your city government.

Also wanted to make sure everybody was aware of the fact that the next round of public workshops regarding the master planning process for the revitalization of public housing in Charlottesville are coming up September 23rd and September 24th.

These are open to any and all community members who want to learn more about the redevelopment of public housing in Charlottesville and also their two cents.

September 23rd from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Carville Recreation Center in the Jefferson School and September 24th from 4 to 7 p.m. at Politico Church on Monticello Avenue.

And for more information you can go to cvillehousing.org.

C-V-I-L-L-E-H-O-U-S-I-M-G dot org.

Are there any other announcements or items to be added to all the business?

Okay, we are now going to, we have a couple of awards and recognitions.

First of all, some of you may have noticed a large mascot in the background.

I'm not talking about Harvey, I'm talking about Flicker of the Flame.

and Flickr has been with us before and we're very pleased to announce Flickr the Flame has received yet another award from the American Public Gas Association which is the not-for-profit nationwide association for public and community-owned gas utilities and represents over 700 members in 36 states

This year, the American Public Gas Association awarded their marketing and sales award to the City of Shaws for public utilities for the Green and Safe campaign featuring Flicker of the Flame.

This was a year-long, two-pronged effort directed at increasing safety awareness and promoting new gas installations.

And as a result of this campaign, there was a 47% reduction in third-party hits, vastly increased public safety awareness and 2% growth in a down economy and increased community

Customer Loyalty and Community Goodwill.

Yes, Mary Alice Flicker asked me to thank a couple of people.

I would like to thank our Division Director for Ms. Miller and Ms. Guillaume Brandt for all of his so much creative presence.

I would like to say thank you all to Mary Zulosky to bring Flickr to life.

And also I would like to thank Vijay Manaf and Bob Python for doing tasks beyond their job description.

And also I would like to say thank you to our community for receiving this program so well.

Thank you, Flickr.

We are joined tonight with some friends from the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival.

I have a proclamation I'd like to read in honor of

A very special anniversary.

Whereas the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival was founded in 2000 by two young musicians, Raphael Bell and Timothy Summers, who grew up in Charlottesville and benefited from the Charlottesville City School's excellent music programs.

And whereas the festival's founders shared the vision of creating a unique event that would attract talented artists from around the world to share their music with our community every September.

and whereas the Charleston Chamber Music Festival, now in its 10th season, has deep roots in our city, having presented its first six seasons at the Old Jefferson Theatre in the Downtown Mall, supporting the revitalization of the Downtown Mall as the cultural center of our community, and now returning to the Paramount Theatre this season for a 10th season celebration concert.

and whereas the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival has introduced many young music students in our community to talented visiting artists and exciting classical and modern musical works, helping to inspire and sustain our students' dedication to music.

Now, therefore, it be it resolved that I, Dave Morris, Mayor of the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, do hereby recognize and congratulate the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival on the occasion of its 10th Annual Festival for bringing 10 exciting years of great music to our community.

Yeah, I can say many of the same things that we've brought people from 15 or 20 countries over the past 10 years to a really special environment here where we grew up in the

In the city schools, you're both in the Charlottesville High School Orchestra and we go back there to see them and help them go further as much as we can.

It's really been a pleasure to work with the community and have all the people who have come not only to the concerts but to come help us make it all work because there are a lot of difficulties just in getting it to happen aside from all the notes that we have to play.

Thank you very much.

We are now going to open the meeting to matters by the public, and we have quite a few people who have signed up to speak tonight.

We're going to start, and as always, when you come forward, please state your name and address and keep your comments to three minutes.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor and Councillors.

Colette Hall, 101 Robertson Lane.

Unfortunately, in the opinion of many city and county residents, the RWSA and even the Rivanna Solve-based authority, answers and actions are at times questionable.

At the PAC, the Planning and Coordination Council of the City, the County and UVA meeting on May 21, 2009, I heard Mr. Frederick, director of both RWSA and the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, give a report on solid waste disposal for the City and the County.

He gave two scenarios.

exit the solid waste recycling business to build a new multi-million dollar transfer center at the Kern Ivy Transfer Center.

This is located at the site of what was once called the dump.

Please note, I say transfer center.

That is a place to transfer trash and garbage to trucks to be transported to a landfill outside of the local area.

It is time for the city and the county to get out of the solid waste business.

It is most important that the RWSA concentrate personnel and resources on our water and sewer needs.

Repeatedly, it is the reality that private business and free enterprise accomplishes business and industry better and cheaper than government agencies at all levels.

Yes to private enterprise and no to government or government established authorities duplication of services that leads to tax and fee increases.

Thank you, Ms. Hall.

Good evening, I'm Jim Moore, 1213 Hazel Street.

I'm currently representing the McIntire Park Golf Committee serving on the Coalition to Save McIntire Park.

organization.

It's in that capacity that I'm speaking to you tonight.

We want to bring to your attention some recent city actions that we think indicate a little bit of favoritism from the city towards certain groups of citizens.

On August 8th, we emailed the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chairman, Scott Brown.

extending, quote, an invitation to open up communication and dialogue with the board about McIntire Park's use and development status.

We've told them we've reviewed the documentation and yet we have questions.

He made a very terse response to our email, leaving little doubt that the board has no interest in such a dialogue.

To quote him, we have very full agendas and while I admire your dedication to your cause, he said, I feel that talking to us would not benefit you or your members in the least and contacting other board members to rally your cause is just a waste of everybody's time.

A follow-up message we received from Brian Bailey, the acting Parks and Rec director, to confirm with us that the board had formally decided not to meet with us, did indicate that the board has received a presentation from the McIntire Botanical Garden organization.

but that it reiterated that our group must wait until the next master planning process to begin before we will be able to have an audience.

Since the city has made no headway during the past seven months in even determining a date for this fourth master planning process and according to one city council member, the event may not even begin during the next ten months

and since the city has refused to even meet with us to discuss our concerns, we just, I guess at this point, consider this avenue of resolution to be closed.

So I thank you for listening.

Also, I might add just for the golfers, unfortunately this sort of makes the golfers feel left out again.

Lomstrat Salitas, 704 Grave Street.

And I was out there before the meeting just chatting with Flicker.

As you know, we've been in contact in the past and he's talked to me about the parkway and he's upset about it, but he didn't want to muck up the awards ceremony

with these kinds of recriminations.

So I'm going to help them out with that instead.

You all are probably aware, I hope, that VDOT has sent some really surprising plans to the Corps of Engineers recently.

The first for the Meadow Creek Parkway, or more properly, McIntyre Extended, because it's the part that goes through the park, or that would, showed it just ending in the middle of a field.

So the Corps of Engineers wrote VDOT back and they said, well this road ends in a field, there's no logical terminal, could you send us some plans that don't end in a field and then we'll continue to process the application.

So then VDOT has now sent them plans showing a connection with 250 without an interchange.

both Mr. Brown and Mr. Taliaferro have both pledged while campaigning that there would be no parkway without an interchange and furthermore VDOT does not plan on building such a thing and city council has rejected that plan and in fact didn't even specifically set an easement to VDOT that there will not be an at-grade interchange built with that easement.

So why is VDOT offering these plans that are not the actual plan?

And the answer is because they're trying to avoid, evade federal parkland and historic protections.

And so Flickr asked me to ask you all to stand up for honest government and

Please make it clear what's going on here and why so many plans are getting thrown around that are not the plan, in fact.

Thank you, Mr. Salinas.

Hello, I'm Linda Seaman at 2010 Greenbrier Drive.

Mr. Mayor, Members of Council and Mr. O'Connell, the Greenbrier neighborhood will soon be experiencing two major projects, the Meadow Creek sewer interceptor replacement and upgrade and the restoration of Meadow Creek.

These projects will affect many private landowners and will have a very significant impact on Greenbrier Park, the city's preeminent natural area.

The Greenbrier Neighborhood Association Executive Committee passed the following resolution at its most recent meeting on August 19th.

The Greenbrier Neighborhood Association asked City Council to make every possible effort to consider these two major projects in the Greenbrier area, the sewer upgrade and the stream restoration together and not as two separate items to come before you.

It's critically important that given the scope of the two projects and the disruption to and destruction of the natural environment that they be considered together to minimize the loss of trees and the dislocation of the extensive wildlife living in the natural area.

We make three additional requests to Council.

First, that the Council direct City Parks and Recreation Department to develop a master plan for Greenbrier Park that would answer the basic question, what kind of a park do we want Greenbrier Park to be?

We also ask that the planning process for Greenbrier Park include a deer management plan.

Let's get in front of this issue before it becomes a big problem.

Two, that Council directs City Parks and Recreation, the Public Works Department and our representatives on the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority Board to continue to communicate with the residents of the Greenbrier neighborhood and with the public in general about the impact these two projects and the plans for mitigating the negative impact that will be inflicted on our park and our neighborhood.

and three that council made clear to the public which city agency or agencies have final jurisdiction over Greenbrier Park.

We thank you for your consideration of these requests.

We will soon be asked to grant easements on these projects.

Good evening.

Mayor Norris and members of the City Council.

My name is Paul Long and I reside at 1410 Grady Avenue here in the city.

I have come here tonight just to make a few remarks about the affordable housing stock here in Charlottesville.

For those residents of the city who earn $35,000 or less annually in their jobs, most find it almost impossible to buy a house in the city and are finding it increasingly difficult

to even afford the monthly rentals for apartments.

I realize that many of the components of this problem are national in scope and beyond the purview of this council to change.

And I recognize, Mary Norris, that long before you were elected to this council, you had a great interest and involvement with helping the homeless in this community and continue to have that interest.

and I also realize that Councilwoman Edwards and all the other members of this council have long involvements in this community and are deeply compassionate people.

But the housing problem in this city is severe and many residents are in dire straits.

I would like to propose that the city adopt a new policy that before any new commercial housing projects are permitted to be constructed

that it be stipulated that 50% of the housing units must sell for under $60,000 and that before any new apartment buildings are permitted to be built, that it be stipulated that 50% of the new apartment units be rented for $600 a month or less.

Good evening, I'm Don Smith, I live at 810 Locust Avenue.

Do you ever want to get so mad that you want to beat on the table, or jump up and down, or bang your head against the wall?

The more I read about the Raban Asad Waste Authority, I feel like doing most things.

I couldn't even scratch the surface in three minutes about all the stuff that I've been reading.

But I get all my information from the hook.

You know about Mr. Gaffney and Mr. Frederick?

They aren't talking much about what's going on, but I do have a quote here.

When the facts of the lawsuit are available to the public, Frederick continues, the public will see the issue in a much different way than currently is being presented by Mr. Vanderlyn.

I couldn't agree with Mr. Frederick more.

In a recent issue of The Hook,

Mr. Van der Linde was accused of telling his daughters to lie by a Mr. Richard Wade Kendrick.

This is a star witness for the attorneys and for the Southern Waste Authority.

Well, Mr. Kendrick tried to extort $75,000 from Mr. Van der Linde and he was going on trial in December.

Mr. Kendrick has also been convicted of numerous felonies and spent more than 20 years in jail.

So Mr. Fredrick's right.

I see things in a different light.

They're a whole lot worse than that way I felt the word before.

Now I see this article.

They're going to put a race transfer station on second circuit.

Nope, I'm sorry, that's satire.

But things are so bad that I had to read the first couple of paragraphs before I caught on that this is really a joke.

But things are getting better.

I see an article here in the daily progress on officials non-prometizing Ivy Transfer Station.

Well, I'm glad to see that.

I think it's a start.

But you also have to address this lawsuit.

From what I've seen, seeing how I'm not getting any information from other than the hook and the daily progress, it looks like a vindictive and baseless lawsuit to me.

The authority is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I'm sure all this will be resolved by July 1st of next year.

But I certainly hope we don't wait that long to take care of it.

Thank you Mr. Smith, Brenda Lambert, and Andre, you want to come together, Andre Hayes.

Good evening, I'm Brenda Lambert, I live at 301 Monte Vista Avenue in the city.

and I am here tonight in support of the resolution that Equality Virginia drew up and that we have asked you to center the General Assembly that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination in relation to public employment.

It was very gratifying when we introduced this a couple of weeks ago that every single one of the council members said they would support it and I see it's on the agenda tonight so now's the time.

I'm Audrey Hakes.

I actually live in Orange County, but I'm just here with Brenda tonight as a moral support.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I actually live in Albemarle County, 8232 Scottsville Road, although I lived in the city for a long time, maybe that counts for a little bit.

Good public policy always requires good data, so I'm going to share some data about LGBT employment discrimination

I just wanted to highlight a few things.

When surveyed, 16 to 68 percent of LGBT people report experiencing employment discrimination.

That's not a few people.

When surveyed, 12 to 30 percent of heterosexual co-workers report witnessing sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace.

Gay men earn 10 percent to 32 percent less than similarly qualified heterosexual men

and transgender people report very high rates of unemployment and very low earnings.

In another recent study just this year on poverty in LGBT communities, we see that after adjusting for a variety of socioeconomic factors, the analysis shows that

Gay and lesbian couples and their families are significantly more likely to be poor than heterosexual married couples and their families.

Lesbian couples and their families especially are more likely to be poor than heterosexual couples and their families.

And therefore, children in gay and lesbian households have poverty rates twice those of children in heterosexual married couples.

So these issues

I think

be affected by these rates of poverty.

There are Virginia data that we have and they replicate some of this information.

Now I'll tell a real quick story.

When I, with my partner of more than 30 years, 30 years, that's longer than some of you folks have been doing.

When my partner became unemployed, I sought to put him on my health insurance with my employer.

That was immediately denied.

when I sought to complain that to my employer.

No, this is not discrimination.

It's legal to do this.

It's not discrimination.

When I sought to complain that with the various agencies at the Commonwealth level that hear these complaints, they said, nothing we can do about it.

It's legal.

I don't know what you can do.

Go find someplace else to complain.

So I'm not complaining.

I'm telling you these are real issues.

I actually didn't put my name down for that.

I thought I was just signing up for it.

But as long as I'm here, I just want to say that I'm in support of discrimination because my husband also is Hispanic.

And we experience discrimination because of his accent.

and I didn't think that was possible and I'm married 20 years and I'm now realizing also as being a woman I'm being discriminated in my employment as well in the Commonwealth.

So I think it's there, I think we have to talk about it and I'm really glad that people are showing up and discussing these issues and so I'm here to support all of that.

Thank you Ms. Hoffman.

My name is Cynthia Knapp, I live at 3767 Pritchett Lane and I have to say this is my first city council meeting and it's much more fun than the county meetings.

Much more fun.

We have no flicker the flame in the county.

I'm here because I have been a long time ally of the LGBT community and I had the privilege as an executive at IBM to lead much of the LGBT

employing network groups and benefits.

In 1984, IBM, known by many people as a very conservative company, especially in those days, added sexual orientation to the nondiscrimination policies.

Now, I would submit to you in those 25 years, IBM is even more profitable today than it was before.

I personally had the honor of leading the addition of gender identity and expression to the global nondiscrimination policies in 2003, again.

I was making more money today than it did in 2003.

So I'm here to just say you guys are really smart because it's a good business decision when we build workplaces and we build communities where everybody can bring their whole selves to work and be productive and make a contribution.

So I applaud your efforts.

Hi there, my name is John Borman.

I live at 1027 Carlton Avenue.

I've lived in Charlottesville for about a year now.

I grew up in Harrisonburg, Virginia, moved to Richmond.

I like Charlottesville because it's a good mixture of the urban culture and the country lifestyle.

I've spent many days at the McIntire Park.

Myself and my friends, we think it's a great place to have fun.

We like the city, but we also like to have a place where we can play and not be surrounded by concrete.

I noticed in the, I guess it's like the charter, cultural and creative capital of central Virginia.

Thank you, Mr. Bullock.

We will now open our meeting to council member responses to matters by the public.

I appreciate everyone coming forward about the Equality of Virginia Resolution and I just wanted to put it in a little perspective.

Last year the Governor of Virginia, Governor King, tried to

introduced anti-discrimination on the basis of sexual preference by executive order and the then Attorney General of Virginia McDonald said he couldn't.

Then a bill was introduced, it was one of the co-sponsors, was our delegate David Toscano to put this into the legislature last year and it was killed in committee.

You know, it kind of boggles my mind.

I mean, how can anyone really be in favor of discrimination?

But I'm glad to see that we have this on our agenda.

It's on the consent agenda, which means, you know, we know we're all in favor of it, but I think it's an important thing, and I thank all of you for taking the time to come.

I'd especially like to thank Ed Strickler, who I've known for a long time.

I didn't know you were celebrating 30 years.

That's my anniversary coming up as well.

But I think the personal stories of just little things, like not being able to be on your partner's insurance, that's a significant, I think those are the types of stories that make people realize these aren't just words on paper.

These are actually things that are affecting people's lives.

Thank you, Dr. Brown.

I would like to follow up on Linda's comments.

In reference to Mr. Moore's comments on terms of favoritism, and I don't know what the whole situation is, but it would appear to me that in the spirit of trying to be fair, that obviously that someone should meet with those folks and talk about their issues and concerns.

And I would hope that we could do that.

The other issue, the solid waste issue which a couple people referred to tonight is something that I would also hope that the city could take a look at because I see sometimes question why we continue to be in the solid waste business.

We have a great recycling program in the city that I think really has reduced everyone's

Glaubach, where most people probably get about half a can or less anymore.

But I think we have a great program.

And I guess I just would like to take a look at why we're continuing to stay in the business or try to determine what our future plans are.

Just a couple of comments.

To echo Council Taliaferro's concern about Mr. Moore's comments about the advisory board and if this in fact that the Botanical Garden got a chance to do the presentation is that which is fair and also to follow up on what is the date for the next master planning process I think is a good idea to follow up with when that is going to happen.

Thanks to Paul Long for always

reminding us of what's important and that affordable housing is something that we need to keep on the forefront at all times.

And to Linda Seeman,

The well thought out resolution from the Greenbrier Neighborhood Association is greatly appreciated and I would encourage some of the Greenbrier residents that were able to put that resolution together to participate in the

Thank you Ms. Edwards.

I had just a couple comments.

I think to the greatest and absolute extent possible those two projects, the stream restoration project and the sewer project should be coordinated.

They are going to cause a great deal of impact and I know in certain ways

There is overlap and I think wherever we can we should absolutely be coordinating those projects.

So I agree with that point.

Mr. Long, I echo Ms. Edgar's comments.

Appreciate you bringing forward these issues of importance to our community.

The challenge, you suggested that we require developers to make 50% of their housing affordable.

Unfortunately, we have no such authority from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We legally cannot require developers to do that.

But we certainly can provide incentives, stronger incentives that are in place now for developers to include affordable housing in their developments.

And we've been working on that, but there's still more work to do.

Thank you for your continued efforts.

Mr. Moore, I think, as I understand it,

Maybe you can correct me later if I'm wrong, but I think your initial pitch to the Parks and Rec Advisory Board was sort of a broad ranging discussion about McIntyre Park planning.

But I think if the pitch had been we want a presentation from the golf group specifically about the future of the golf course, it might have been received differently.

I don't know that.

I can't speak for them.

But I would be happy to personally meet with you and invite our Parks and Rec director to sit down with you and the golf group to hear your concerns and make sure that your voices are included in that conversation.

So we'll follow up with you on that.

That's all I have.

Okay, so item H, a resolution support for human rights legislation affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons.

As I understand it, the reason we're recommending that is so that we can read the resolution in full and vote on it separately and give it a little bit more prominence than simply passing it with a consent agenda.

It's true.

So the rest of the consent agenda, item A is an appropriation of $5,000 Arts Challenge Grant, second of two readings.

Item B, an appropriation of $76,900 Admiral County contribution to Therapeutic Arts Program, second of two readings.

Item C, an appropriation of $23,000 reimbursement from PHA John Street House, second of two readings.

Item D, an appropriation of $230,080, Justice Assistance Grant, second of two readings.

Item E is an appropriation of $18,000 Highway Safety Grant, first of two readings.

Item F, an appropriation of $29,306, Health Department Carryover Funds, first of two readings.

Item G, an appropriation of $1,500, Charlottesville Police Foundation contribution, first of two readings.

Item I, a resolution, Passenger Rail Service from Charlottesville in Northern Virginia, D.C., first of one meeting.

Item J, Ordinance amending handicap parking ordinance, second of two readings.

Item K, an ordinance conveys a portion of Jefferson Park Avenue right of way, second of two readings.

And item L, an ordinance front yard parking in commercial mixed use districts, first of two readings.

All right, any other items second?

I'll move the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

Please indicate your vote.

Okay, we'll now take up item H from the consent agenda resolution regarding human rights legislation.

I'd like to take the opportunity to read the resolution so the community knows what we're talking about in full.

And then we will take a vote.

Whereas a diverse and inclusive community that respects and enhances the potential of all of its members is crucially important to City Council's mission of making Charlottesville an excellent place to work, live and visit.

And whereas lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are vital members of our community, including police officers, teachers and doctors.

And whereas in the increasingly competitive and diverse workforce and economy, recruiting and retaining the best public employees requires Charlottesville to be as attractive an opportunity as possible.

and whereas private businesses have already recognized the competitive advantage afforded by offering progressive employment practices regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and leaders in that industry such as IBM have had such policies for more than a decade and whereas 94% of Fortune 500 companies have non-discrimination policies protecting employees on the basis of sexual orientation and 125 include gender identity.

and whereas in an increasingly competitive housing market buyers are choosing to move to communities that are accepting of all of its members and whereas there is no federal law protecting Charles' gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender employees from sexual workplace discrimination and whereas there is currently no state law in Virginia prohibiting discrimination against employees of state or local government including employees of Virginia's public colleges and universities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth,

or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or status as a special disabled veteran or other veteran covered by the Vietnam-era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974 as amended, and whereas all employees of the commonwealth or its political subdivisions or agencies deserve statutory protection against employment discrimination based on any of the above non-merit-based factors.

and whereas recent survey research by the Equality Virginia Education Fund shows that more than 90% of Virginians support the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens to work for the government without discrimination.

And according to Gallup's May 10-13, 2007 Values and Beliefs poll, 89% of U.S. citizens believe that gays and lesbians should have workplace discrimination protection.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Charlottesville City Council calls upon the Virginia General Assembly to pass legislation qualifying the basic human right of all public employees to be free from discrimination in the workplace based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, status as a special disabled veteran or other veteran covered by the Vietnam-era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974 as amended

and sexual orientation, including gender identity.

Is there a motion to approve this resolution?

Any further discussion?

If not, please indicate your vote.

Motion carries unanimously.

Thank you all again for coming out and supporting this very important stuff.

We're now going to move on to the next item on our agenda, which is a public hearing and ordinance regarding the Shanks Branch Interceptor Sewer Project easement to RWSA, I believe that should be R, yeah that's right, RWSA through McIntire Park, first of two meetings.

Mr. Mayor, members of council, as the mayor has noted, this is a proposed ordinance tonight on first reading.

that grants a permanent easement to the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority for the Skanes Branch Interceptor.

That's a sanitary sewer collector line that is owned by the Water and Sewer Authority that runs along McIntyre Road.

under the Route 250 Bypass through McIntire Park across Melbourne Road and ultimately connects to the Water and Sewer Authority's Meadow Creek Interceptor in Albemarle County.

It's a line that was originally installed and owned by the city but was part of a wastewater infrastructure that was sold by the city to Rivanna pursuant to the 1973 Four-Party Agreement.

The entire line, I believe, is approximately 7,000 square feet.

The ordinance before you tonight applies to approximately 1,075 feet of that line.

While the line is owned by Rivanna, it serves only city residents and businesses.

It is a, at least this portion of the line, is a 21 inch sewer line, which the city's Public Utilities Division has determined is undersized.

This portion of the line that is subject to the easement under consideration is proposed for relocation to accommodate the construction of McIntire Road extended by the Virginia Department of Transportation and it provides an opportunity for the city to have the line enlarged.

The new line which is proposed represents an increase in size of almost 50% from 21 inches to 30 inches.

Except for the manholes, all of the sewer infrastructure within the easement will be underground.

Since the line does only serve city residents, as I mentioned, the cost associated with the enlargement of the line will ultimately be the city's responsibility.

I've attached to your agenda memo a proposed deed from Rivanna and two sheets which indicate the location of this particular easement that I believe is outlined in red.

Questions for Mr. Byrne?

I think the line needs to be relocated in order for the road to be built.

I think the line also needs to be relocated.

Well, if the line is going to be increased in size, there's obviously a conflict with the road.

Yes.

Okay.

Currently the line is a 21 inch line that during wet weather flows it will not carry the capacity and we have determined that in order to carry a certain amount of the wet weather and dry weather flows it needs to be increased.

We're also taking the opportunity to put the line at a deeper depth which is good for the city because

then you'll notice when sometimes you walk the creeks you'll have these aerial crossings across from sewer lines and the city will then have an opportunity because of the depth, the deeper depth of the Rivanna system to go ahead when we as we work our way up our system to get rid of those aerial crossings which can be troublesome.

Other questions before we open the public hearing?

and we have a few people that have signed up to speak and as always please state your name and address and keep your comments to three minutes.

I'm Daniel Bluestone, 511 Park Hill.

I don't know that I should use my time to read part of this ordinance, but I'm going to because people are looking in.

The City of Charlottesville, its successor or science, agrees that trees, shrubs, fences, buildings, overhangs, and other improvements or obstructions shall not be located within the sewer easement.

The sewer easement shall include the right of the authority, that is the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, to cut any trees, brush,

In shrubblies, remove obstructions and take other similar action reasonably necessary to provide economical and safe sewer line installation, operation and maintenance.

The authority shall have no responsibility to the city.

Its successor assigns to replace or reimburse the cost of trees, brush, shrubbery, or other obstructions located in the sewer easement if cut or removed or otherwise damaged.

This is a public park.

The Rivanna Sewer and Water Authority is on the verge of becoming a main player in the maintenance of our park.

They will, if you go up Royal Road and look at the start of Meadow Creek Parkway, that landscape has been decimated by not only the road project, but by the sewer project, the construction of the interceptor sewer project.

The same exact same thing is going to happen to McIntyre Park.

and we're now told by this ordinance that you're being asked to support that there will be no trees, no shrubs, nothing planted in that entire easement through McIntire Park.

This boggles the mind that you would take the generic language of a deed that Rhinocerum Water provides and just go along as if this is not actually happening in our main public park.

We are going to be looking at a landscape that is going to have its trees lost

Shrubbery's Cut in order to build this and nothing will ever grow back there because of the language of the ordinance that you're being asked to support.

Now why is that important?

Well, for one thing, because it's a park.

But there's another reason it's important.

Section 106 negotiations have been going on with the Corps of Engineers, with the Federal Highway Administration, with VDOT, and there are letters where they point to these same trees

in discussing, for example, the impact on the Rock Hill Estate Gardens.

And I said, well, these trees here will screen from view the highway coming through the park.

those trees it turns out are all being removed in order to build the sewer.

And so we have letters, one from March of 09 from the Corps of Engineers that's talking about how Rock Hill Academy of Gardens and Rock Hill Estate Gardens will not be impacted by this highway through the park because it will be screened by trees that we now find out are going to be removed in order to provide the sewer easement.

Same thing, August 2009, another letter which I can submit to you and these are all, you know, Angela Tucker has all of these available and the same issues are raised which are that we have agreed that this road will be screened with trees.

The trees can't be built with the sewer easement.

Mr. Busser, your time is up.

Thank you.

I hate to cut him off.

But it seems to me

Having seen a lot of this kind of thing that the LaVanna Sur Water Authority and the Solid Waste Authority and unfortunately even our own city government, a lot of the times it seems that the objective is to protect the plan from the citizens.

the plan is that which serves growth and this is another example of that and I find it incredibly convenient that suddenly when the Meadow Creek Parkway would necessitate the moving of this pipe that the pipe also needs to be expanded at the same time and to go back to some of the things I was saying before in terms of this segmentation issue

which is, you know, Parkway is the reason that this is before you now.

Y'all asked Mr. Craig Brown to give his opinion on the segmentation issue and after, I think, what was a couple of months or so, it basically came down to Federal Highways

the Federal Highway Administration made that determination based on a lie that the city told.

The lie is that the city was going to build the Meadow Creek Parkway with or without the interchange.

And I'm not sure if that lie is still there on the steering committee's 250 interchange website, but that is

The foundation upon which Federal Highways Administration made that determination and it's simply not true.

And if you go ahead with this kind of thing at this point and then there's a lawsuit and that money gets taken away for the interchange,

Where is the city going to be at that point?

Let me also say that as taxpayers, city residents would be paying for this expansion and moving of the pipe and they would not have to if it weren't for this project.

This is yet another cost and yet another impingement upon our park which gets brought up at the last minute.

Not only for the citizens, but even for the councillors.

Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Salinas.

Thank you, Council.

Jim Ward, 1213 Hazel Street.

I'm not going to say much about the interceptor issue.

I was curious about this issue and I tried to look into it, but I couldn't seem to get any kind of standard detailed diagrams or good packages that you would normally expect when you get zoning changes and things.

I think in the interest of being sort of open and honest and making sure you understand what the landscaping effects would be on the parks on this, I would encourage you to request the same kind of information that you would from a private developer wanting to make a change.

That's somewhat what Daniel was trying to say, I guess.

He was going to throw a little bit about the Y end to that, but anyway, I'll leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr. Morris.

Anybody else that would like to speak?

Good evening.

I'm Peter Kleeman.

I live at 407 Head Street in the city.

And I'm here to request that you do not take action on or you deny the request from whomever this was requested to grant this easement.

I tried to find out who the actual requester of this.

I was told by Ravana Wadhansour, chief engineer, that Vidot is the requester of this easement.

And then I have been told by others that Ravana Wadhansour is the requester.

and the actual ordinance says that Rivanna Water and Sewer is a request, although this is intimately associated with the highway project, the McIntire Road extended.

One of the main reasons why I request that you deny this easement is that it appears that this project has not really matured to the point that you should be doing right-of-way and right-of-way related utility easements.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received in a letter from VDOT on the 7th of August a plan which I have a copy of here.

Get the right side up.

This plan, which as you see, starts at US 250 on that end and ends at Melbourne Road on this end.

And on that plan that they have, there's a sewer easement required on the southern tier of that, which would be the other end of the sewer easement that's being proposed on this end.

But the plans that were submitted to the US Army Corps of Engineers differ significantly from the plans that were submitted

Same month to Charlottesville, I put that little pink marking on that end, that's not part of the plan, and you'll notice the project ends 775 feet short of US 250 bypass.

Now here's the easement that you're being asked to approve, and as Daniel Bluestone pointed out, this section over here

There's going to be an area that's going to be dominated by, well, we'll have no trees.

Much of the rest of the area in here is going to be the

Phil Slope, which will be a two to one slope, which will also not carry trees.

So the photographs or the drawing renderings that we saw in the artist renderings are really a folly.

They will not be what we have seen as being the experience pedestrians will have on the pedestrian path.

So my recommendation to the council is that

You negotiate with VDOT to find out exactly what the project is that's being proposed to go through the park.

I think it's very bad public policy for an agency like Virginia Department of Transportation to be maintaining two separate sets of plans, one which is being submitted to federal agencies for their approval of permit applications and a second set which is being submitted to the city

and the significant differences is that in one that's an at-grade intersection, that's to the federal government, the one that's being submitted to you has no at-grade intersection included in it.

So it just seems to me that this project actually still has alternatives, that no final design has been selected and I encourage you not to make an easement decision until such time as a final project plan is available.

Thank you, Mr. Kleeman.

Is there anybody else that would like to speak?

Good evening Mr. Mayor and Councillors, Colette Hart, 101 Roberts Lane.

When I first came to Charlottesville 20 years ago, I wondered why VDOT was so maligned.

Now I know.

Repeatedly I see or hear of examples of VDOT's harmful and one-sided agenda.

Not just in Charlottesville, but all over the state.

VDOT originally requested the sewer easements.

VDOT needs to relocate the sewer line that runs through East McIntire Park.

Thousands of trees will be removed to build the antiquated Middle Creek Parkway through the park, but the engineer design team has told us that there will be a pleasant trail running close to Skanks Branch Creek.

If a permanent easement is granted, IRSWA will not allow the planning, which would be RWSA, will not allow the planning of trees, and so the shaded and meandering trail will become a hot, noisy, and unpleasant walk alongside a busy, quote, 24,000 vehicles a day road.

There are so many things wrong with this idea that three minutes will not allow a detailed discussion of this topic.

North Downtown neighborhood is a National Historic Preservation Act section 106 consulting party with the Federal Highway Administration, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Virginia Department of Transportation, Albemarle County and Charlottesville and a separate 106 process with the Army Corps of Engineers.

I have received and read thousands of pages of documents from these agencies, including the Advisory Council on Historic Reservation, which is federal, and attended the 250-hour train steering committee meetings and the 250 public hearings.

You must rely on staff reports and now on three years of accumulated knowledge and discussion with and from the above agencies.

Therefore, I ask you to deny this easement until the 106 process, the full F, the environmental impact studies, the permits issued, when all federal and state agencies have concluded their mandate.

Thank you, Ms. Hall.

Anybody else like to speak?

Okay.

We'll close the public hearing.

A couple of questions for staff.

I don't know that.

Typically these type of lines that we've seen in the city were

The lines are in very close proximity to the creek right now where certain portions of the lines are exposed, not only the aerial crossings are exposed, but portions of the lines due to

of the creek, so it would be in Rivanna's best interest to replace this line and move it further away from the creek, which is in most of the places of the thousand feet that's specified that, that's being relocated, which is a good thing.

And do you have any, I don't know if I'm answering all your questions.

The line is undersized right now for current flows so it does need to be replaced whether that's done as part of the VDOT project or whether that's done by Rivanna at a later date.

One of the major overflows is actually near the recycling center down below the county along the Rivanna system.

And it's basically where the city, we have two large city lines that come into the Shanks Branch Rivanna line and cause an overflow.

Uh, approximately what area of the city does that drain from into there, roughly?

It, um, drains the Rose Hill area.

Okay.

Um, just the on the southern portion of the, if you can picture it, you know, it actually, um, runs parallel, as Mr. Brown stated, to McIntyre.

Some people think deeper is better, but you still have some root issues.

This is the same issue that we've dealt with in the Greenbrier neighborhood where, I mean, I'm not an expert on this, but 40 feet has always seemed to me like a little bit of overkill.

And the reason that it was brought up in Greenbrier was that that was a maximum that there might be areas where it's hard for the equipment to get in and clear, so we need to have 40 feet in that case.

But here, much of this is parkland.

I can't imagine it's very

Well obviously there's some forested areas but

Well, one thing we always consider when we're looking at easements is the depth.

And if you ever had to go in and do any point repairs or replacement of any certain settings of the line, what would you need to get in there to get to that depth to repair it?

One other issue that came up in some email conversation was the idea of landscaping the easement.

I don't remember if it was you or Ms. Mueller.

Landscaping and what's possible, is this going to have to be left as

Baron Space or Canopy Landscape and how?

Right, well with the current easement that you're looking at, we're trying to use some of the space for the 10 foot wide shared use path and we're trying to follow along the easement there so you already have the clearing.

It does start to break away and that's when you need to get up to go across the cold road at the same place at the roadway and then again it meanders back away.

The Park Department has been working with the Rivanna Water Sewer Authority regarding the landscaping for the Meadow Creek parkway portion since that's moving forward quicker and they are looking at doing some sort of landscaping and re-vegetating, etc.

First, try to follow your recommendation or your resolution not building the at-grade interchange, moving forward with the idea of the grade separated.

And then if the grade separated doesn't occur, then we would go back to the at-grade, but that would be discussed and designed with City Council's help.

So the Corps has requested the worst case scenario, only looking at this once with one permit.

So to do that, VDOT again went back to the 250 yet is still showing for construction plans the same cutoff of 775 feet.

I don't know if that helps.

So the worst case effects are being taken into account for historical resources for the water quality permit, etc.

but we're not planning to do the worst case.

I think it's because it's not advisable and we're trying to, I think, do a little bit better with utilities, with relocating with.

I think what Mr. Huja's getting at I agree with, which is concern about

The language in here being very firm from Rivanna about not having shrubs and not implying that there could be some flexibility about different types of trees or

or some ability for the city to in some places not have a 30 foot easement or a plant within the easement but you know something worked out with common sense and I think that's you know it strikes me as being one of the core of the issues here is assigning an easement that has very strict

requirements that I think could impact what we've always, those of us who support the parkway have wanted to see a parkway we can be proud of and I think this has some weirdness.

In the data model, I wonder if Mr. Brown could address the issue of whether the city could own the line rather than Rivanna.

My discussion with representatives of Rivanna at the staff level indicated a willingness to convey this line to the city.

or to allow the city to assume ownership if the line is relocated.

That ultimately would be a decision from the Rivanna board, but it is certainly possible that the city could take over ownership of this line.

As I pointed out, the city is paying for the cost of increasing the size of the line in any event.

I would like to see some changes that we do allow some landscape and appropriate landscape if we don't conflict with utilities in the right of way.

I think there is a possible ways of doing that.

The second is that it is also a sufficient land.

Mr. Brown, can you comment on Mr. Huja's suggestion and Dr. Brown's suggestion?

to revise the language to allow greater latitude.

I'm certainly willing to approach Rivanna about that.

I think there are a couple of issues.

One, which has been identified, is guarding against root intrusions from any

Frankly, this is not unlike language which the city includes in its easement deeds whenever we acquire easements for our water and sewer lines.

I don't know about that.

That's certainly true for capital costs.

I'm not sure whether it's true for routine maintenance and repair, but maybe Ms. Mueller knows.

Whoever phones the line pays for maintenance.

But I can certainly work with Rivanna before we bring this back for second reading, if it's moved and seconded tonight.

I think that one of the distinctions is that this is a park.

I think Mr. Bluestone pointed out very particularly this is a place for

Yeah, I still have a couple, I still

I would like more information because this conversation is like a shoe with moving parts everywhere and what I'd like to focus on is the health and safety issues around having sewer lines that are intact and work well and the environmental impact of

of not having a lawn.

And I did want more information about the history of the lawn, when it had been maintained, had there ever been in the past a route that had been envisioned.

And if there was any maintenance plan at all, if there is an opportunity to look at a different route for this, if there had ever been

any drawings in the past to that end because it's still not clear sometime in the 50s the exact time that the line was born so I'd like to hear more information about that so I think part of us moving to is also the process that we're engaged in because it sounds like the public would have

I would like more information also to be able to give some feedback as well and even to share some of the drawings with people so that there would be more information because even if people don't necessarily agree with the process, just to be more informed about

about what's happening, hearing that as well.

Well, I get a sense of what the majority of counsel is in terms of either

Moving it to our next meeting, move approval in a second or defer action altogether until we have more information.

I'd like to see us do the first reading tonight with some changes of language to go back to Rivanna.

And I'd also like to ask that at the next reading that we have staff specifically address some of the issues that were raised about how involved in envisioning the parkway looking and are there things changing?

Is this going to affect it in terms of

I think it would be good to have that covered by staff to talk about in other areas where there are problems because there's not enough land with the easement for planting trees and things like that

What did you first hear about the changes that were shared with all of us this morning?

Well, the reason for this is basically that we don't need to see a program that extends to the residents and uses all the transit in Canada.

We don't need to see the sunlight.

It extends to the residents in the south of, north of this ministry.

and William Lewis, the future Lewis, if you have.

It's been moved with an amendment, if you will.

Sorry, second.

I'll second it.

Alright, it's been moved and seconded and carried forward to our next meeting for second meeting.

Thank you all for coming out to speak on that topic.

We will now have a report and a resolution from the Teensite program.

Transfer $11,354 from Council Reserve to FOCUS slash Teensite, first of one meeting.

Dear North City Council, I'm Albie Lefebvre.

I'm the President of the Focus Board and we have some supporters here.

We have Susan McCabe who is the recently hired Director of Teensight.

This is Jenny Shukla.

She is the Focus Director of Finance and Operations.

This is Sue Lewis.

She is the Treasurer of the Board.

Elizabeth Smiley is the Vice President of the Board.

And this is Shay Carter who is the Assistant

The program assistant with the GEMS program which stands for Girls Empowered to Make Success.

So we want to thank you and for appreciating and recognizing the value and importance of the teen site in school program and your support for teen site which we believe is an excellent program which is why we're here.

Thank you.

I should have processed, I apologize, I should have processed your presentation with a little background, which is that during the last budget process we received a request from Teensight for some funding.

We asked them to come back with some more information, which is what they're doing tonight, regarding their proposal.

We have reserved $11,354 in our council reserve in anticipation that you would be coming with more information.

You've presented a written report about your goals and objectives and accomplishments for the program, which are very impressive.

Let me thank you all for coming here tonight.

Are there any questions from counselors?

I have some information.

Hello, my name is Penelope Carter, I go by Shay.

I'm a youth program assistant for FOCUS, Women's Resource Center's teen site youth programs.

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to council and the mayor for considering teen sites to accept funds in support of our programs.

I have tried giving

Each program, a little bit of my time, but I specifically work with the Girls Empowered to Make Success program.

In November of 2008, I came to focus looking for help with going back to school as a single parent of a male two and a half year old daughter.

Unfortunately, their services were only for 21 and under.

After I was introduced to the different teen psych programs, I began volunteering to occupy my free time.

By the way, I loved the girls and started putting in 15 to 25 hours per week.

At that time, there was only one program coordinator, Michelle Boddy-Fates, in charge of three programs, resource mothers, gyms, and reach.

Resource mothers has a lead resource mother, but there are no positions giving direct service to the young girls and boys.

With our recent director taking ill in December, Michelle started completing work as acting director.

At this time, I began putting in 30 or more hours of volunteer hours per week.

As acting director, she found the funds to burn me on part-time 20 hours a week as of April 1st, 2009.

Unable to be director, program coordinator, and still give direct service, she made my position because she felt that our youth designed a paid staff person that could relate to them and want to put the time in directly with our youth.

Around this time, Robert Jones Jr., a graduate of UVA came to team site.

With the help of the acting director, they created our M.A.L.D.

program, gentlemen empowered M.A.L.D.

to succeed, firmly known as REACH.

Together as brother and sister, RJ and I started to bring together our younger gens and gens.

and Assistant Brotherhood.

See, we work with the at-risk youth.

Most of our kids are loud, hostile, sassy with attitudes, and led to horseplay.

With the help of other women for people volunteering in our community like 6th Street Menomar, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and our life coach Ms. Kaye Monveaux, we begin to teach them to define their own life philosophy.

Most of our kids do not know the meaning of what it is to respect your peers, but most importantly, your elders.

At the time, they begin to reach their within themselves and find ambition to achieve their own goals.

Unfortunately, I'm here to lead us around May.

I've had the opportunity to bond with most middle school age girls in my area.

This program not only allowed me to begin spending lots of money and time with them, but I was also able to bond with the whole family and try to figure out what our minority families in this community truly need to help them succeed.

I saw a need in our younger adolescent girls and boys for some direction, somewhere to go to physically when they had nothing to do that would keep them out of trouble.

They wanted examples of respect and help with how to start achieving their goals now.

Young girls in Charlottesville do not have a year-long youth mentoring program.

Prior to my coming to FOCUS, many of us in the community really didn't know what FOCUS was about or felt as if it was for the privileged community.

The majority of FOCUS programs are for the privileged and not the minority.

When I first got to FOCUS, we did not have a sincere involvement of young people in the overall program or the FOCUS team site family.

However, I am proud to say that since I was brought in, things have changed.

whether the funds are placed with Teensight for direct service like extending my position or create more like it with help with transportation or facility for the Teensight youth programs or even helping with providing food for the youth.

This program leads it.

Thank you all for your time.

I've got a couple questions.

I was just looking over the budget for Teensite that you submitted to us and I just was trying to understand it.

We have not gotten any funding from Albemarle County.

Excuse me, I'm Sue Lewis.

I'm the treasurer and was involved in the preparation of the previous budget for which these funds were requested.

The same amount was requested from Albemarle County.

This particular request is, by the way, for the in-school program.

It's for child care funding for the in-school program.

That was on the original request that went in

during the scheduled time frame for this fiscal year.

And no, we did not get funded at all from Albemarle County and we appreciate, I have to say, the fact that we're allowed to ask again for this funding specifically for this particular program for child care for the in-school parenting program.

This is just city schools.

You do it in all the schools.

All the schools, all four high schools and the city schools.

I had a budget question myself, which was, according to this budget, the income for a tune site for fiscal year 2010 is projected to be $225,000, whereas the expenses are projected to be $179,000,

There's a surplus of approximately $45,000, which implies, at least, just at first glance, that Teenside is, the income for Teenside is helping to fund the rest of FOCUS's programs.

It's accurate if all of the grants came through, and that's $225,000 worth of grants that were applied for or in the process of being applied for.

So right now you're projecting that the actual grants, or not projections, the actual grants that you have in the pipeline are about 70, some odd thousand, is that what you said?

72.

72,000.

Yes.

Okay.

Other questions?

Thank you for your good work.

I have a dynamic PowerPoint presentation.

Dynamic?

Is Flickr involved?

Flickr will not be involved, but perhaps for another day, if you guys want to find a comfortable place.

Sure.

Yes.

Okay, can you hear me?

Is my mic on?

Okay.

Mr. Mayor, members of council, thank you very much for your valuable time to talk about how we're getting out information in a new way to the public in addition to what we traditionally do with our press releases and other ways that are traditionally very valuable to the citizens.

In your city council vision, you're well aware that you gave us an edict to be leaders in innovation, to be flexible and progressive, and we believe that what I'm going to show you tonight and what we're attempting to do and how we're going to move forward will certainly meet that charge because we feel as though we are starting to get into some technology that can really move us forward in different ways.

In communicating to our citizens and folks interested in the city, we always tried to

to be those leaders.

Doesn't mean that we don't rely on other means like media relations, press releases, more traditional methods like the website, but we understand that you all gave us a desire to look at it into new ways that we can really get our information out to an audience that potentially wasn't looking at press releases or having access to traditional media or an interest in the news.

So, Web 2.0 is essentially some technology that does include social media, which is probably the most familiar to everyone as far as what's going on on the web and what's evolving, but there are also other internet softwares, applications that create

really a environment of creativity, collective conversations, the ability to pull people in in different ways in order for them to be part of government, making decisions and certainly being part of better governance as we move forward.

It does promote collaboration and it's a great way to work around knowledge exchange.

As I said, Web 2.0 does include social networking, that's the most familiar vehicles out there, but also different ways of getting video from both here in council as well as what we produce behind the scenes, tours, informational, instructional, public education videos, wikis and mashups, and I'll talk about that in just a second, what those are, and then just online information and sharing techniques like e-newsletters.

and how is that valuable for us here in city government.

We're just now beginning to see the value and we're probably one of the first in the region to really invest our time and our efforts

and are experimenting in use of Web 2.0.

It's a great way to get out emergency communications but more importantly I think what we're realizing is it's a way for us to build community both from involving people in the process to creating some consensus building through some collaborations like the dialogue on race may be an opportunity for us to use new technology for folks that are

maybe not all apprehensive in expressing an opinion verbally they could do it electronically and not have a fear that someone is going to be perhaps judging them but it's just a better way that we can close that conversation and get it collective and a great way for us to get quick information out as well as using marketing for many of our public events and public education

Social networking is something that we have made some great strides in recently.

As you probably know, it's a great way for everyone to reach out and to select what types of information they're looking for and we've had great success with having people being interested in government, information specific to them as well as to some of the events that we're trying to promote and it's a great way for us to get

outsource conversations to people that might just want a lot of information and be able to pick and choose what information.

they're really interested in.

We do have a big presence on Facebook.

This is our Facebook page for today.

It is probably where we have the most successful recently because we've seen just great strides in how many people are watching this and how many are actually staying with us through our conversations.

We use Facebook different ways.

We do do some discussion blogs, but those are limited at this point.

We post our events, city council meetings, traffic alerts, any emergency information that we might want to have.

The city, annual city auction is on there.

We also use it to store a lot of our video that's available on the left side of the page, but today we had

about 1,200 people who have signed up for Facebook here at the City of Charlottesville.

And just to kind of compare that to some other regions, some other cities, I think you'll be pleased to know that we are second only to the City of Alexandria who has 15

133 fans.

We have over 1,200.

Albemarle County is just getting started.

They're at 27, Arlington County 699, Roanoke 242, Virginia Beach 1139.

So that is sort of, okay I'm bragging a little bit, but it is sort of a, it's a way for us to judge how many people are interested in the content that we're putting out there.

As you can see from the slide on the right, most of the folks that have signed up to follow us are female, growing number are over 55, and they're from pretty much, they're concentrated in Virginia.

We can see that some folks are watching this from Algeria, Norway, Germany, Brazil, France might have a connection to the city of Charlottesville.

This is our Twitter page.

We're using this in different ways.

One of the most unique ways that we have come up with is it's a way for us to type out information perhaps at home.

which gets put onto channel 10 immediately on the ticker that you see at the bottom through what's called an RSS feed and I'll tell you what that is in just a second but we are able to do a lot of things instantaneously.

One of the things that we do during city council meetings is when you all vote on something we put the result of that vote up.

Yay or nay instantaneously.

We also put a good bunch of information prior to the meeting up to make sure that the agenda is available to the public and for those that might not be getting it in the traditional ways.

This is what a page looks like if you haven't seen Twitter.

talking about the approval of your resolution tonight the consent agenda and then further down previous this week we advertised whatever report ordinance resolution public hearing that was going to be that was posted on the Wednesday's agenda

We have about 250 followers.

Most are from around the region.

And one part of Twitter that I try not to take personally is you have a lot of flux.

When people aren't really liking what you're saying, these short bursts of information, they tune you out by not following you.

So we've gradually gotten up to about 250.

And as I said, they're mostly folks from around the region and less like Facebook, which is around the state and internationally.

Another social networking tool, MySpace, we personally don't use it.

LocalMotion, the local activity initiative does use it.

It's very successful and we may find some uses of that feature in the future.

Video we've been extremely successful with.

We now offer audio podcasts, video podcasts.

We have a new website for Channel 10.

We use video in many different ways and we're able to send it out to different people.

One example is the news briefs that we

have available that once they are done and advertised, we are able to email them out rather than on channel.

It's a press release, press conference for the second year.

We have dedication where we

are able to record it complete from start to finish as opposed to editing it down for the two minute newscast that you often see on the local news.

Right now we've had about 791 hits to our video page which is Granicus.

The most popular recently over the past month was the city council meeting August the 17th.

There was great interest in that.

The J&D court dedication, there was some interest in that.

And some of the other shows that we have on channel 10.

But just to show you that this is a way for us to track

folks' interest in what the city is doing.

We also have a presence on YouTube.

This particular shot here is from a shot of Charlottesville story that was done on Meet the Farmer which we don't produce but we do run on channel 10.

City Market has a feature on YouTube and we recently did our own YouTube channel.

This is Charlottesville's channel 10 which has got video from some local news

accounts of the city that we felt had good information in it.

Remembering the Glory Days was a documentary that was done talking about the Vinegar Hill area, Sister City's videos that we've gotten from Italy as well as from other parts of the country.

But it does allow us to get a little bit more information out there and people selectively choose what they want to see.

Kind of complicated, I'm not sure I completely understand it myself, but it stands for really simple syndication.

It's a way for folks to subscribe to feeds to get, to know when new information is coming in and to be able to document and to store different information feeds.

We have ours on Twitter, which puts it on channel 10.

We have channel 10's video feed as well as some other limited uses.

Right now our web

The site is a bit limited.

We wish we had a little bit more technology.

capabilities on our website that we're working on to provide a little bit more of an RSS feed component that we currently don't have.

Blogging is something we're gradually getting into.

There are some challenges for local governments.

Of course, you want to appear as though you're censoring conversation, but you have to have so many very specific and documented rules going into it.

We currently have some blogging on our Facebook page.

As you know, probably know our city market manager has her own blog.

City Council, Councilman Brown has his own blog.

it's got great information on it, you're right, it's back from March but I'm sure it's still very important and then Mayor Norris has his own blog site which he uses quite regularly but we'll look at that as some opportunities going forward.

Wikis, just want to mention this real quickly, it's a collective software that everyone kind

puts their efforts into changing, putting new information, putting information to share, talking back and forth.

We currently use it for our P3 campaign, Plan, Perform, and Perfect.

It's used by our core

team which goes and puts new information of value to the other members of the team so that we can have that online communication.

We monitor the city site on Wikipedia.

That's not something that we own or generate but something that we like to have correct information on.

And our friends at Charlottesville Tomorrow have Charlottesville PD right now and we also look at that to learn and to contribute as much as we can.

Bashups is just the use of different technologies together to combine information with technology.

Probably know that as some of our maps that show us where the buses are.

We currently have in development a police crime data software which

is being tried out to show where crime is being committed in different neighborhoods across the city.

We have a parks map which shows you where to go for different, how to get to a park, where the park is and pictures of the park and of course our transit is that great technology.

We're showing you where the buses are and how you can actually create your own bus trip, how long is it going to take, how much money are you saving based on

walking and taking the bus as opposed to driving.

That was a new addition as of this year.

We created a city maps page that debuted today.

Hopefully you'll get a chance to look at that.

It just has every map in the world that can center in on Charlottesville and show you some different components that you might be interested in.

Of course, e-technology, e-newsletters are

Growing in popularity, our visitors bureau has a newsletter, our parks department has a monthly newsletter, our economic development has a monthly newsletter and today we launched Community Focus which will go out monthly.

It intends to show more connections with city council agendas, some of the specialty events that we have going on, some of the news items that you all might want highlighted as well as featuring new

avenues on our website and on TV 10.

But I'm really excited about this.

We've had it out today with about 1,500 people signed up for it and you probably have it in your mailbox this afternoon.

Some other things just to mention, we this year formed a communications committee, which is our way of kind of pooling resources within our staff, the creative folks in every department, or most every department, that review and comment on marketing efforts citywide as well as some new technologies with communications.

scheduled e-meetings and community forums.

Recently we did an H1N1 virus community forum here in City Council with Dr.

Peek.

It was recorded.

Staff was invited to come.

If they couldn't come, they could watch it streaming on the web, which many did.

and then we recorded it for use in the community to get good information on what you should do with the H1N1 and the new vaccines available.

Community partnerships, working with the county on a few things and then certainly internal communications and how we can improve it going forward.

One of the things I did want to announce today is that at CATEC we plan to offer to agencies as well as the community

some workshops on how you can benefit from social networking, how you can get a website up and we're going to offer that at a reduced cost to city agencies so that they hopefully will take part and create some more discussion in public and certainly have an application online.

We now have everything kind of on one page if you want to know the different

our screen names and our different handles on these technologies I've been talking about.

You can go to Charlottesville.org forward slash cbillsocial and that will give you sort of a rundown on exactly where we are and where we hope to go in the future.

So thank you very much for your valuable time.

Hopefully you learned something and I welcome your suggestions and input on how we can use this technology even better than we have to date.

That would be 27.

We have 1,200 plus.

But they're just getting started.

They're in construction.

Well, that was extremely impressive.

It's clear you all really are pushing the envelope in terms of innovation when it comes to communications.

I do want to mention that there is a segment of the population that is always challenging to get the word out to.

It's the folks that don't watch the news traditionally that might not have electronic access.

And I think that's our biggest challenge, or has been my biggest challenge, on ways that we can partner with community agencies, with neighborhoods, to get out both emergency information and information that we encourage people to be engaged in the process.

Sure.

Dr. Brown?

Well, yeah, it is pretty impressive all the things you're doing.

I know that there's different things that define kind of the generation you're in.

One of the things I've learned is that people my age use phone books and people

The thing I liked about your presentation was that you tracked

the use of these things, which surprises me.

I'm not quite sure I still get why some would want to be a fan of the city, but not that the city is a great place, but that just, in terms of my investment of time online, it just doesn't quite make sense to me, but I'm sure it makes sense to a lot of people.

So I like those type of stats.

The two things that struck me that I'd like to, in the same vein, encourage, one is whether

we can make sure that our calendars are all pretty comprehensive and there must be some way of doing that.

And I noticed sometimes when I've looked on the city's website at upcoming meetings and there's lots of meetings that aren't included on their neighborhood meetings that the city's involved with and things like that.

And the other thing I was thinking would be I think some face-to-face meetings

I think it's a group that I've thought about, especially the schools in session, when we see the Charlottesville high school students attending the council meetings, part of their requirements, it'll be great to hear from them since they're the ones that use

a lot of the social networking and the internet to see what their opinion is about how useful it is, what they'd like to see.

Because I was listening to the average age, the person that visits the site, we can give that a 16 to 24 year old age group.

Other comments, feedback?

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Eric.

Thank you for your time.

Keep up the good work.

Mr. Mayor, Members of Council, as I think you know from the time we started talking about re-breaking the downtown mall, there was concern about how we would handle trash in the downtown.

One thing that we know is one of the bad rips, you get all kinds of interesting things onto the brick and we didn't want that on the new brick and we wanted to keep the new brick as clean as we could.

So we've been working with the

specifically the restaurant operators but also all of the other businesses downtown to see if we could come up with a set of regulations that met our needs for maintaining the look of the mall, the surface of the mall but also understanding that these are businesses and we need to work with them to make sure that whatever kind of rules and regulations we came up with were workable for them.

So we started out in the spring.

We had a large meeting at City Space and that's where we introduced the 96 gallon wheeled containers.

The city did purchase the containers for all of the restaurants on the mall.

Originally we were going to give everybody one and then have them pay for the second one.

We ended up in the end saying, you know, if you'll use them, we will give them to you.

That's where we started.

As it evolved and as we worked with the restaurant owners, they liked the wheel cart so much they said, oh well, we want one for recycling too.

And you can imagine if you're a restaurant owner and you have your employees taking out four and five red bins full of glass bottles

and suddenly give you a nice 96 gallon container that can be wheeled.

So that exceeded our expectations from the very beginning.

It's been a long process but I think what we have done is we have worked, I say we've been, the staff has worked very hard to meet the needs

of every individual restaurant on the downtown mall.

The downtown mall is a unique situation.

We have very few alleyways.

We have very few places where people can keep their flash cans and kind of keep them out of sight.

We have looked to create different collection times.

As you know, we run the 4 o'clock collection, which is the added collection that we've done to get kind of the lunchtime trash out of the way.

As we began to work on this and we pretty much got it set, we sent Mr. Brown's office and they started reading the ordinance.

and it turns out that we really have been doing things over the years and haven't really looked comprehensively at the entire Solid Waste Ordinance.

So when you look at the changes we've made, they really look extensive, but very few of them are

New procedures that we've been doing.

It was a lot of cleaning up the language and cleaning up the things that we were doing.

We also worked very hard to try to put some flexibility into the ordinance to give me the opportunity to continue to make changes, try pilot programs, try some other things that we think will work without having to come back to you every single time and say could you change the ordinance so I can

so I can do this.

Probably the, well the one biggest thing that we've done of course is the 96 gallon containers.

We've worked with the City Treasurer and with the restaurant owners.

They didn't want to have to do, some of them wanted to do daily stickers, some of them wanted something else.

So we come up with a program of quarterly stickers.

because some restaurants may have more need for more containers in the summertime when they're having their outdoor cafes and then fewer in the wintertime.

So we're trying to work with them.

And again, I think that we have met the needs.

We have met individually, I believe, with every restaurant on the mall.

We've met with the retail operators and tried to incorporate their needs also.

Is this perfect?

No, but I think it's a step forward and it's a movement of where we want to go and we'll continue to try to work with everyone and tweak this as we go along.

Probably the one thing that we tried to put in here is what we call the downtown-uptown collection where we're doing curbside collection in the downtown area and then up West Main and to the corner.

And again, we're not there yet.

We're still trying to work on how we can improve it, but I think these ordinance changes take us a long way towards where we all want to be.

The one thing, you know, we introduced this voluntarily and had a lot of good suggestions from our customers.

The one thing that once you pass this ordinance,

that will change is there will be specific signage in specific areas on Market and Water and some of those in parking spaces where people will have to put their wheeled trash cans.

So we will not have trash anywhere on any of the side streets and of course nowhere on the mall.

And that was our goal.

Questions for Ms. Mueller?

Thank you.

I'd really like to say that Steve Lawson, our public service manager, and Ronnie Shifflett, who's our refuse supervisor, have both spent hours, days, weeks on the downtown mall trying to work out individual problems with every customer.

And I hope the fact that we don't have a lot of opposition here tonight is that we've been successful so far.

But we're still going to continue to work with them.

Mike, I had two questions that I didn't agree necessarily with downtown per se, which is I really like the idea of providing the large wheeled

Carriers for recyclables and what is the possibility of us being able to provide them beyond downtown to consumers, to residents of the city.

I know when I put my recycling out nowadays it's way more than I can fit in one little green bin.

We're working, I've been meeting with our contractor and what we're looking to do is to do a pilot program.

They're very enthusiastic, but I think we all agree.

If you had a 96 gallon covered container,

For those of us that have to keep our paper and our cardboard inside and then someone like me downtown when it rained this morning, we think that, and there are studies, I mean they've showed me studies for some other cities of some pretty phenomenal increases in their recycling tonnage when they went to the 96 gallon wheeled containers.

One of the little bumps in the road that I'm having to deal with is how do I pay for them?

To start off with, they're about $50 a piece.

Our contractor is coming forward with a proposal that we could actually rent them.

so there wouldn't be the big upfront charge.

I don't have all of the members yet.

Hope to have them and a plan for the pilot program within the next two weeks and be able to present.

I'd like to do it bigger.

I mean the ones with the very... Well, our normal stickers for a 32 gallon, these are three times of it.

The 96 gallon containers are the ones that are on the downtown mall now.

Would there be an issue with weight in terms of... No, because they're not manually connected.

No, no, no, no.

Actually not for the individual because I'm envisioning someone having to lift this really big thing, but it's done... No, it's on wheels.

Yeah, it's on wheels.

Yes they do.

And I will be honest with you, I started out thinking that 96 was too big.

And the contractors and the people that I've been talking to have really convinced me that I think 96.

I will have one last check, I'll be at the, going to my annual professional meeting next week.

There's no place to take it.

That's the issue.

You may know that UVA had a pilot program from one of their dining halls, and it was very, very strictly controlled by DEQ and the Department of Health and the professors.

They actually had two professors that were overseeing it.

They had a one-year permit, and I've not been able to find out if their permit got renewed, but at this point, we're not San Francisco.

everybody's probably read about has started such an amazing curbside program separating everything.

And my last question had to do with multifamily properties.

This is apparently an issue.

I'm waiting on some prices from our contractor.

We do have some apartment complexes.

We have switched over.

You may remember, we used to have those white igloos.

that have the different holes and didn't hold very much.

We've now moved to two yard containers, two cubic yards with the same once a week pickup and it's been successful where we've been able to do it.

We've been working with our contractor to switch those out at no cost to the city.

So it's gone a little slower than I had planned.

Right now, I don't have, except for the public housing that you've asked me to look into, I don't believe we have anyone on the waiting list we've tried to accommodate.

We've accommodated all the people who had the former egolism.

We're trying to accommodate the others as we can.

Any questions?

I think if you do have some ideas on ways that would meaningfully increase recycling by making it available to other places, I think

At this point our contractor has been very good in working with us and doing everything he can to not give us an additional cost.

He is working with us to possibly provide the 96 gallon containers for the pilot program.

They wanted to do 100 households.

I'm asking them to do 300.

That's a tough one because aside from the businesses downtown at West Main and on the corner that have curbside collection, everyone else has private dumpster service.

So they had the option of buying the recycling service from their contractor and some of them choose to and some of them do not.

I can give you those numbers.

It's about 20%.

We're down, actually it's probably closer to 25 because we're down, we used to do that 10,000 tons a year and we're down more in the 8 category and our recycling is up over 2,000.

Okay, well there's an ordinance on the table.

Is there a motion to approve?

I'll move the ordinance to the second.

It's been moved and seconded, carried forward to our next meeting.

Thank you much.

Miss Muir, any other business before us tonight?

We'll now open it up once again to matters by the public.

Is there anybody from the public who would like to speak?

I wanted to comment on City Council and the large cities very diplomatically.

In campaigning for City Council, these are my interests in affordable housing.

I've had a lot of people come up to me.

I work at UVA Medical Center.

I come in contact with a lot of people and even people that I know outside of the work environment.

The issue that they've been bringing up to me is affordable housing.

And some of the people have talked to me, there's been a lot of anger.

And I don't have an expertise in affordable housing.

I have a good friend of mine who lives in St. Louis.

He has a master's degree.

He's been involved in this issue.

I called him up on several occasions and said, give me a quick tutorial so that I can come to clinic with this issue.

And I realize it's a national issue.

It's not just confined to Charlottesville.

I come from, and I've been living here 11 years.

The problem is much worse in Philadelphia and the big urban areas.

But I, you know, and I'm, the reason I said that members are compassionate is because I do believe that these are, but it's an issue that has to be addressed, and I usually address it.

But I think even more so, one of the issues that I, the reason I talk about the working, the working, the people who are working,

and service jobs for the hotels at UVA that are going to work every day.

You know, get offended when you talk about Section 8 housing because they're getting up every day, they're working, they have a strong work ethic and they just can't afford to buy a house and they're finding it more and more difficult to rent in the city.

When I was going around finding those signatures for my nominating petitions, I had people tell me point blank, I wish I could afford to live in the city.

I think it's an issue that has to be discussed and I'm trying to do it in a very reasonable, appropriate, rational manner without being democratic because that wouldn't be constructive.

But I appreciate you listening to me.

I think it's a great shame, as I said just briefly, to stop.

The problem that the city of Charlottesville has

from the story from the Commonwealth of Virginia and not being allowed to tax, you know, and not being allowed to impose guidelines for developers as a city that has a problem that other states impose on their local counties as well, and it's not right.

It's a shame that the Commonwealth of Virginia puts these restrictions on the cities.

Pennsylvania does it as well.

I'm sure other states do it as well.

It's something that should be changed

and somebody that I'll be addressing at the DeGruyn Trail candidates as well.

Thank you, Mr. Long.

Anybody else like to speak?

The meeting is adjourned.