C-VILLE just flew in from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting and, boy, are our arms tired. A brief breakdown, via the C-VILLE News Desk Twitter account:
- The Oak Hill Sewer Project, an $800,000-plus component of the Albemarle County Service Authority’s FY2011 Community Improvement Plan budget, received a $712,500 community block grant to fund a sewer service extension.
- HOWS founder Stacey Norris—who describes herself as an "animal-loving, tree-hugging, peace-wishing vegan"—brought a 9′ section of chain before the board, prompting at least one member to reference the movie Gladiator.
- The board agreed to schedule a public hearing for a possible amendment to the service authority’s jurisdictional area around Stonehaus’ Whittington development to allow sewer service on several parcels—a hearing it denied in 2006. Supervisor Dennis Rooker suggested that the project, which is located in a rural area, could bring about a slippery slope for future developments, and said he "wouldn’t be unsympathetic to looking at this as a Comprehensive Plan change." If developer Frank Stoner pursues both, which is likely to occur most quickly?
- And…no $30,000 for a Bushman-Dreyfuss study of the "Old Jail and Jailer’s House" quite yet.
In the meantime, the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO) issued a response to recent reports that nearby geese were being slaughtered to ensure safe flights. The geese—within what CHO calls "striking distance of airport traffic, generally a five-mile radius"—were removed from surrounding areas with permission from the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association.
"This action was part of an ongoing safety program designed to deal with the issue of wildlife incursions at airports," according to a press release. While it acknowledges the affinity many have for Canadian Geese, the release notes that "concern of a potential hazard to aircraft cannot be ignored."
