Growth happens
I have heard all the arguments for and against the current water supply plan, especially concerning the new Ragged Mountain Dam and the proposed pipeline [“RWSA provides Gannett Fleming costs, takes heat at board meeting,” Development News, August 4]. What concerns me is that those that are opposed to the new dam have not put forth any proposals for the currents dams at Ragged Mountain. The upper dam was built in 1885 (no this is not a typo, it is 1885) and the lower dam was built in 1902. Both dams are in dire need of refurbishment and repair or else they will fail. The current plan is to build a new dam, tear down the lower dam, raise the pool by 45 feet and overfill the upper dam. When this was proposed most everyone was for it. Now you have more people against it, but not one person against the current plan has yet to put forward a plan to refurbish the existing dams. Why? Considering that both dams are over 100 years old should be a major concern to everyone. The way I figure it, you will either spend money to build a new dam, or spend more money to refurbish the two existing dams to bring them up to code and the authority will not lose their permits to operate these dams. Yes, it’s true, if the existing dams are not brought up to code the authority will lose their permits to operate these dams. This was the major reason for building a new dam in the first place. Yes, I know the current costs involved with the current plan have changed, and in this economic environment it doesn’t seem to be the right time to spend over $142 million on this project. But you have to consider the benefits. You will have a new dam, those eliminating the need to refurbish two dams. You will have more storage, thus being able to handle growth in the community. Yes, growth is going to happen, all you can really do is try to control how much you want in your community, you can’t effectively stop it, all you can do is slow it down. The other thing is what about our aging infrastructure? In this community you have pipes, valves and storage tanks that are reaching their age limits and need to be replaced. Some of these are as old as 1923 and earlier and need to be replaced. Or are we back to the old “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome? This community needs to look at these things realistically before condemning any plan outright.
Robert Clouser
Charlottesville
Dig deep
I‘m glad to see your paper point out that we, through RSWA, have spent almost 4 million dollars now on consultants Gannet Fleming. This, for a study which grossly overestimates the cost of dredging, underestimates the cost of making the dam function (which is the kind of work they do) and is based on overinflated water demand projections.
Please apply some scrutiny to the parkway plan.
Both the dam and parkway projects are really welfare for the sprawl developers of Albemarle County, and have necessitated a great deal of largely unreported deception to sell to the public. Both would take Charlottesville’s land and money in order to surround the city with yet more auto–centric growth and pollution. Proponents of both use the money we have wasted already as justification to throw away many times more.
So why did you print a eulogy for a beloved community member (our central park) while she is still being throttled? Your recent front page about “taking in the sights and sounds of McIntire Park as road construction begins” gives the false impression that VDOT has started tearing up the park. This is not the case.
Just recently they were at least temporarily denied a permit for the city part of the road by the U.S Corps of Engineers because the plans received had no “logical termini.” Why did VDOT hand the Corps plans for a road to nowhere? Because, in order to evade U.S. historic, park and environmental protections, VDOT is pretending the Parkway and federally funded interchange have “independent utility”; though without the other, these boondoggles would end in a field, 775 feet away from the U.S. Rt. 250 Bypass.
When VDOT resubmits a plan, will it be an interchange-free southern connection, despite the facts that VDOT’s own study shows such a plan would make a traffic nightmare of the bypass, and that city council forbade it?
Maybe they will submit a plan where the parkway and the (yet to be designed,let alone approved or built) interchange meet at the bypass. Still without each other, they would launch cars 30 feet into the air—hardly independent projects.
Whatever they come up with, please dig a little deeper as to why this is a road plan with no end; and, as with the dam plan, you will find sprawl developers, their office-holding servants and lots of disinformation.
Stratton Salidis
Charlottesville