Charlottesville Community Engagement Town Crier Productions

There are words written down, and then there are words spoken out loud and arranged into an order that allows someone listening to learn a few things about what’s happening in geographical area in which they are interested.
For those reading these words now, this is a complicated way of saying this is Charlottesville Community Engagement that has been produced for June 22, 2024. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I can report that there’s madness to this method. 
In this installment: 
* Charlottesville City Council reaffirms water protection ordinance / stormwater utility fee after two public hearings that were not labeled as such in the agenda (learn more)
* Charlottesville Deputy City Manager Marshall briefs Council on her approach to social equity goals (learn more)
* The Charlottesville and Albemarle economic development authorities meet to learn more about the regional strategies put together by another level of government (learn more)
* The University of Virginia Buildings and Grounds Committee learns how planning and budgeting works for capital projects (learn more)
* The Harrison Center of Translational Research at the University of Virginia is preparing to learn more about neurodegenerative diseases (learn more)



First shout-out: Friends of JMRL 
In the first subscriber supported shout-out since the summer solstice: Let’s learn a little about a nonprofit group that plays a major role to keep the Jefferson Madison Regional Library going strong. 
Friends of JMRL plays an important role in the slightly Byzantine structure of library budgets. Proceeds from the popular book sale go to pay for children’s, teen and adult programs. The five jurisdictions that make up JMRL pay for facilities, salaries, and operational costs. State aid funds the collection acquisitions for all materials, physical, and digital. The federal e-rate program pays for equipment purchases. And Friends of JMRL raise funds for all sorts of activities. 
That includes the Library endowment in conjunction with the Charlottesville Albemarle Community Foundation awards money to special efforts such as the NAACP scholarship as well grants to out-of-area patrons to cover the $30 fee for residents of non-member localities. Friends of JMRL also  manages the Books Behind Bars program. Volunteers find and ship books to Virginia inmates at no cost to the inmates. Expenses are paid through private benefactors and Red Light Management.
Visit jmrlfriends.org to learn more and find out how you can get involved. 

Second-shout out: Cvillepedia 
Cvillepedia is a wiki dedicated to sharing and building community knowledge and history about the people, places, and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. This site is built with the same software as Wikipedia and is a free, public, collaborative encyclopedia that anyone can edit and improve. Cvillepedia is a volunteer run project. Click HERE to become a volunteer and add to the stories we tell about the past!

Thoughts at the end of #693A
And with publication of this newsletter, one week ends and another begins. I have two more stories to post to Information Charlottesville, but one may end up being more appropriate in tomorrow’s edition of the newsletter. For now, I need to turn my attention to putting together the Week Ahead.
By my count, there were 17 stories in the newsletter this week, and about half of them became audio versions. I’ve sort of figured out how to balance all of this in a way that the print newsletter gets out quicker and those who listen get to hear the stories the way they’re meant to be experienced.
People learn things in different ways, and I’m always looking to learn new methods of getting information to people. In four years, there have been hundreds of stories, and I hope to be able to continue this for some time to come.
Many of you subscribe and as its a Sunday and my time is partially covered by the sponsor of the Week Ahead, I’m going to spare you the sales pitch. I w

The opening sentences of every single edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement are intended to be a script that opens up a podcast that contains several stories about items happening in order to engage the community of Charlottesville. In recent months, the podcast and the written newsletter are out of production sync but efforts are being made to restore this functionality. I’m Sean Tubbs, and hoping that those who read this and have not yet listened will hit play today. 
In this edition: 
* The primary results are in and the 5th District Republican nomination is too close to call, while Gloria Tinsley Witt wins handily over two fellow Democrats (read the story)
* Albemarle Supervisors commemorated Juneteenth earlier this month with a proclamation (read the story)
* The UVA Buildings and Grounds panel approves the Major Capital Plan, including planning studies for Fifeville properties and another look at a study to get off of coal (read the story)
* The Albemarle Fire Department recommends switching out mulch landscaping for rocks to prevent fire risk (read the story)
* Albemarle Supervisors think the Broadway area should remain available for industrial use (read the story)
* That elected body also endorses eight Smart Scale applications (read the story)
Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.


First shout-out: Charlottesville Community Bikes’ Tour de Gluten on June 23
On Sunday, June 23, Charlottesville Community Bikes invites you to come along at noon with dozens of riders for the Tour de Gluten, a no-drop, social bike ride featuring stops at our talented bakery neighbors in Rose Hill/Preston/Downtown!
They have two ticket options:
* Ticket with Baked Goods: Covers highlighted items (baker's choice!) from each participating bakery. Registration closes one week before the ride so we can place pre-orders for the whole group, which we will pick up when we bike to each bakery.
* Ride-Only Registration: For those who want to join the bike ride but don't plan to purchase baked goods.
Bakery stops include:
* Althea Bread
* Baker No Bakery (at Grit Coffee downtown)
* Cumbre Coffee & Bakery
* Cou Cou Rachou
* Marie Bette Cafe & Bakery (on Rose Hill Dr.)

Second shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society
In today’s second subscriber supported public service announcement, the Charlottesville Jazz Society wants you to know that once a month they hold the Local Jazz Spotlight Series at Miller’s on the Downtown Mall. 
Coming up on Sunday, June 30, the spotlight will shine on the Jamal Milner Trio featuring Daniel Richardson. This takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the event is free. Maybe I’ll see you there as I’ve been wanting to go see one of these for months! 
If you can’t wait until then but need to go see some live music, the Charles Owens Quarter will play their 2022 album Golden Moments at the Vault on Thursday, June 20. The event is co-sponsored by the Charlottesville Jazz Society. Tickets 
But that’s just one of many great events coming up that you can learn about on the event calendar at cvillejazz.com. 
Notes for #692A
I wanted to be a public radio journalist and worked hard at a station for many years but there was never a job for me. Over those years, there was also less room in the schedule for me to sell stories as a freelancer. I created the Charlottesville Podcasting Network in 2005 out of frustration that local public radio at the time refused to put content out online.
The experience of going independent back then was exhilarating, but I did not have the reporting chops to do much. When I went to work at Charlottesville Tomorrow, management had no interest in audio except as a way to bring long meetings to people. Yet, every story I produced in my eleven years was written as if it was a public radio story as my primary reporting technique is to harvest audio.
I’m

An introspective introduction
For most of the history of this newsletter, the print version has served as the script for the audio version. Both went out at the same time. In the past few months, the two products have diverged but it is my hope to return back to more frequent audio.
This particular edition is almost the exact same as the June 11, 2024 newsletter. That’s the one that went out late Tuesday about a single topic. That and the 33 minute podcast version are the result of my trip to Champaign-Urbana to follow the Charlottesville City Council on their visit to the Mass Transit District. I’ve also cross-posted the full article to Information Charlottesville which serves as an archive site for most of the work I do.
I estimate this edition took about forty hours of my time not counting the travel time out to Champaign-Urbana. I decided to take the trip because I wanted to go back to Illinois, a place where I spent time as a child. I’d not been back in a very long time and along the way I had an interesting journey that’s not germane to Charlottesville Community Engagement.
Yet the trip to Champaign-Urbana was very much part of what I’ve always wanted to do in my time as a journalist. I don’t do enough reporting from the field, and I forgot a lot of necessary tricks for audio production, such as make sure you grab enough tone to make it seem like the narration is coming from the scene. This also could have used another edit, but as a one-person operation sometimes you just have to move on.
Yesterday I spent about four or five hours or so doing the audio version so I’d have something to air this morning on WTJU. I was glad to spend that much time on something complicated so that doing smaller stories will seem more manageable.

A house shout-out: A Thank You to Patreon Supporters
In today’s first shout-out, I am shouting out the dozens of people who support Town Crier Productions through Patreon. Over four years ago, I wanted to get back to journalism but did not have deep pockets or a large bank account. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, and decided to put out a digital hat to support my community journalism!
And since then, Patreon supporters have provided the bedrock of my finances so that I can continue to go forward in the telling of stories intended to help members of the community understand where we are in a turbulent era of history. This summer I’ll be rethinking the various tiers and what people get, but for now I want to encourage others who may not be Patreon supporters to consider doing so. This summer I hope to get the podcast back in line with the newsletter because audio production is a core component of what I hope Town Crier Productions will continue to do. 
There’s a link in the newsletter if you want to sign up! And double thanks to all of those who double-dip with Patreon and Substack support.
This one ends as #687A
The only way I can pull off all of this work is to organize as best I can. Or at least pretend to be. Over the years I’ve added internal numbering to everything I do. I have to keep track of the shout-outs and make sure all stories get from the newsletter to Information Charlottesville.
In addition to Patreon, there are hundreds of people who have subscribed here on Substack. Part of today’s work is going to be thanking recent subscribers for making the decision to help fund this work. I may also get a good jump start on the Week Ahead and see if I can publish that earlier in the day as I’m doing with the newsletter.
I’m grateful to get to keep experimenting and covering as much as I can. I also want to continue exploring different parts of the country and writing about them. There is a lot to learn from similar communities across America and the world and every now and then I’ll do something like this edition. Subscribers make it happen, and I appreciate it.
If you become a paid subscriber through Substack, Ting will match your initial subscrip

Some time has passed since there was an audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a period of time that could be quantified in many ways. Yet, to those who listen at a point way past the one in which these words are written, mere seconds may have passed. This assumes that anyone is listening at all, and we all know what happens then. 
In this edition:
* Charlottesville’s Board of Architectural Review takes a first look at UVA’s affordable housing project at 10th and Wertland (learn more)
* Ridership continues to increase on Virginia’s Amtrak routes (learn more)
* Four of the five candidates in Fifth District primaries appear at Spring Creek forum (learn more)
* A few highlights from the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors as they began their June meeting on Thursday (learn more)
* And the UVA Foundation spends $10.5 million for three properties on Arlington Boulevard (learn more)




This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Some time has passed since there was a sonic version of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter that is now only sometimes a podcast, the podcast you are now listening to. That time could be anytime after May 25, 2024 when this edition was updated away from the WTJU Radio Version to something for Substack subscribers who want to hear these stories! I’m Sean Tubbs, and I do, too. 
In this edition:
* Charlottesville transportation planners are seeking to rebuild public trust (learn more)
* Transportation planning manager updates Charlottesville City Council on existing projects (learn more)
* Charlottesville Area Transit seeks input on a new strategic plan intended to make the service more attractive (learn more)
* Regional planners want you to identify unsafe intersections in the region (learn more)
* Virginia Breeze to launch new east-west service through Charlottesville  (learn more)
* UVA is seeking firms who want to partner on building up to 2,000 beds as part of an initiative to require second-year students to live on Grounds (learn more)
First shout out: ReLeaf Cville 
In today’s first subscriber supported public service announcement: ReLeaf Cville exists to reverse a worrying trend. Since 2004, Charlottesville’s Tree Canopy has declined from 50 percent to 38 percent. Two-thirds of the city’s neighborhoods are below 40 percent. ReLeaf Cville aims to change that through a series of tree plantings, preservation efforts, and education campaigns. 
ReLeaf is a public / private partnership between the city tree Commission, the Nature Conservancy, City of Promise, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, and the Van Yahres Tree Company.  Their efforts are funded through donations so consider making yours today!
Sponsored message: Buy Local  
Buying locally supports our neighbors and community members and makes a big impact for our local economy. Local businesses are more likely to reinvest in our community and their goods and services contribute to the unique character of our community.
Learn more about how you can support local business at ShowLocalLove.org and on social media:
* Instagram
* Facebook
* The website formerly known as Twitter
Notes on #681A
It’s now been three and a half months since I agreed to do a radio version for WTJU, a decision that forced me to rethink how I do a lot of things. As soon as I agreed to volunteer my time to produce a version for them, I knew I needed to create a way to manage all of the stories.
At the beginning of this newsletter back in July 2020, I wasn’t tracking any of this. I wasn’t even sure what I would be putting together. The first one dates back to July 13, 2020 if you want to hear it.
For the first year or so, all I did was put them together and move on. At some point, I began cross-posting stories to the Information Charlottesville website but until I began using this spreadsheet, I wasn’t really keeping track of my progress.
Up until episode 650 or so, all of these were podcasts. That stopped when I knew I had to better consider the sound quality as some of what I was using sounded awful over the radio. I also realized that sometimes the extra hour of production to create a radio version delayed information I wanted to get out quickly.
I miss that twinned era, but I don’t think it’s going to be coming back anytime soon. I’d like to know what you think of this, though. Please drop me a line, or leave a comment. I want to hear from podcast listeners. There’s at least 300 of you!



This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Saturday is alright for podcasting. Or at least, that’s how I deliberately misremember a song in order to have an opening paragraph for this latest audio version of Charlottesville Community Engagement. For much of this publication’s history, the sonic and print versions were unified. It may take an epic quest for that to be restored. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I seem to have misplaced the map. 
In this edition: 
* Albemarle Supervisors approve $2 million for Piedmont Housing Alliance’s 60-unit Premier Circle project (learn more)
* The regional planning body adopts a new regional economic development strategic plan (learn more)
* Charlottesville City Council gets briefing on how tourism bureau works (learn more) 
* Charlottesville wins the ability to increase Council salaries (learn more)
* JABA director marks Older Americans Month (learn more)

Concluding notes for #676-A
Two podcasts in a week! It might be that I can get into something of a rhythm! In any case, as soon as I hit send, the next work week begins. I do not think I am going to write up a newsletter today. I feel like I should write up some things I have not been able to complete yet.
In any case, thanks to paid subscribers. If you want to become one yourself, Ting will match your initial subscription. I am aware they are not available in all locations, but I am also aware of how their support allows me to continue to feel like I can continue this work into the future.
Ting can help you with your high speed Internet needs. If service is available in your area and you sign up for service, enter the promo code COMMUNITY and you will get:
* Free installation
* A second month for free
* A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall



This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe