Hey there, bricknuts. Have we got a story for you! Last night, as we said they would, City Council met to review the Mall rebricking project. Here are a few quick things Jim Tolbert, director of Neighborhood Development Services, said that we found the most interesting:
• At their most productive, brick masons laid over 10,000 per day.
• During the project, crew members uncovered a phone line in a wooden conduit. Of course, they didn’t connect to anything, but they were in perfect condition.
• The project maintained access to all businesses. There was not one business that was closed for a day (due to the rebricking) on the entire Mall.
• The project was on time (it took four months), and after all the bills are paid, it will be 10 to 15 percent under budget.
• All but one of the workers on this project have already been placed with other jobs or have interviews.
• There are a few things left to finish:
-Fountains
-Benches
-Planters
-Bike racks (this week!)
-Fire lane bricks
-Tree lights (today! There was a guy up in the tree in front of the C-VILLE office this afternoon.)
After relaying all of these facts, Jim presented a select few with brick plaque. A select few, we might add, that did not include yours truly. We won’t name names, but did any of the people who received the plaques tirelessly write a blog about bricks for four months? No, we think not. Did any of them work nights and weekends, finding connections between bricks and you fine, faithful readers? No, sir. Did they care for, nurture and love the bricks to the very tips of their keyboard-wielding fingers? Sure didn’t. But we did. And where is our plaque? In someone else’s hands.
But we don’t want to leave you on this sour note. Luckily, Charlottesville has one more chance to get in Brick Watch’s good graces. On May 29, there will be a rededication of the Downtown Mall in a tent (yeah, we don’t know) at 4:45pm. Brick Watch will be there, eagerly anticipating the presentation of our very own special plaque. We’d like it tied with a bow (brick red is preferred, but any color will do), and we’d like "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" to be sung in the background. By Elton John.
See you there, bricksters. And Elton? Wear your red glasses. We don’t want to clash.
