Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog

Santa Run 2011

2011-12-20T08:07:00.001-05:00

Since 2005, the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department has joined forces with the North Pole to show Santa Claus around the neighborhoods it serves. The Santa motorcade is expected to arrive in Woodbrook Thursday, December 22nd between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. There will be candy for the children.

A Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department engine decked out for Santa's Run

This year Santa's motorcade will include the department's brand new Engine 82, a state-of-the-art fire engine that includes side air bags, stability controls, anti-lock breaks and hydraulic tools to help with car accidents.

Listen to my interview with Santa Run organizers Captain Drew Lawrence and Fire Fighter Jeff Bogden for The Charlottesville Podcasting Network.

New for this year will be a food drive. Residents wishing to contribute to the food drive are asked to gather at major intersections in their neighborhood to make their non-perishable food donation. Food items can also be dropped off at the STVFD station on Berkmar Drive.

Click here to learn more about this year's STVFD Santa Run.

Woodbrook's Christmas Lights 2011

2011-12-17T10:09:00.000-05:00

Here we go with our third annual Woodbrook Christmas lights photo shoot. Some of the displays we photographed in previous years have been retired and some new ones have appeared.

As always, our apologies to those of you with great Christmas light displays that we missed or were unable to photograph.

Arden Place Connection Removed

2011-12-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

In what is hopefully the final chapter in our series on the Arden Place connection, on November 21, 2011, construction workers demolished the path/roadway. The action came after Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed and neighborhood representatives requested at an October meeting with Arden Place developers that the path be removed. Regular readers of this blog will recall that in an unanimous decision in April 2010, Albermarle County Supervisors voted that the path was not to be built. An error in the management of construction drawings resulted in the path being accidentally built earlier this year.

A construction crew demolishes the connection between Arden Place and the Woodbrook Lagoon on November 21, 2011.

A "No Trespassing" sign posted at the entrance way to the former path.

While it was not possible to return the land to its pre-path condition, Arden Place developers have made every reasonable effort to restore the land and have promised to replace the trees. Straw now covers the place where the path once stood.

Straw now covers the place where the path once stood. The developer has promised to replace the trees removed from this area.

Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed is pleased with the outcome. "I'm glad that what was voted on in public was upheld in private and I'm glad that Andy [McGinty] was a man of his word," said Reed earlier this week.

Click here to review all our stories on the Arden Place connection.

Developer to Remove Woodbrook Connection

2011-10-18T08:47:00.002-04:00

Developers agreed Monday to remove the portion of the road shown in red on this site plan. Woodbrook is shown in the upper right on this map. The portion of the road that services the Arden Place storm water management system, shown in green on this map, is to remain asphalt.

A representative of Coleway Development, the developers of Arden Place, told Woodbrook residents Monday that the connection to Woodbrook would be removed. "The trail was built in the wrong place, there's no denying that," said Arden Place developer Andy McGinty speaking to a small delegation of Woodbrook residents Monday evening. The delegation was headed by Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed.

"I'll take the trail up, bring it back to the original plan," said McGinty. McGinty asked to keep the portion of the road that services the storm water management area paved as the grade is steep in this location and gravel could wash away over time. "I told [the County that] we will take the asphalt up, the gravel up," he said. McGinty agreed to remove as much of the gravel roadbed as possible without damaging the land. "I'll put a couple of maple [trees] out there," he added. He reminded residents that a significant portion of the road is laid over a RWSA water main that restricts the number and size of trees that can be planted there.

"[The storm water management road] will stop at the abutments, and there will be no bridge on them," said Coleway Development's Andy McGinty Monday. The abutments, shown in this photo, mark the location of Arden Place's storm water management system. The asphalt and gravel heading off to Woodbrook in this photo will be removed. McGinty also said that he will likely build a fence at this location.

Following the meeting WCA President Susan Reed said, "I was very appreciative of Andy McGinty agreeing to meet with us very quickly." She added, "I find it very refreshing that, in this day and time, someone would just say 'the buck stops here' and take responsibility for the mistake (which wasn't necessarily his) and agree to fix it to the agreed upon manner." Once the trail has been removed McGinty said it will be very difficult for Arden Place trail pedestrian traffic to get to Woodbrook.

"Nobody's really going to be able to get from the proper Arden trail [to Woodbrook]," said McGinty. "What I plan to do is to get it done in the next couple of weeks," he said.

Neighbors Petition Supervisors to Remove Roadway

2011-10-09T09:23:00.001-04:00

Calling on Albemarle County Supervisors to enforce their April 2010 decision banning a roadway connection to Woodbrook, WCA President Susan Reed presented a petition containing the signatures of over 90 Woodbrook Residents. The petition was presented to Supervisors during the "matters from the public" portion of their October 5, 2011 day meeting.

What County officials are calling a "path" is actually a 200-foot extension of a roadway used to provide access for service vehicles and heavy equipment to the Arden Place storm water management system. The roadway connects Arden Place to a point within a stone's throw of the intersection of Brookmere Road and Idlewood Drive in Woodbrook. Woodbrook residents have opposed the roadway since June 2009 when it was first proposed. In April 2010, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in a 6-0 decision banned the connection. Developers built the road anyway.

Listen: Listen to President Reed's presentation to supervisors and their response. (16m)

In her presentation, Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed said, "This board voted [to stop] the sidewalk at the Carmike terminus," she began. "This project is like a zombie, it just won't die," she said. "It begins to sound like someone has an agenda to put in a sidewalk to Woodbrook and perhaps later a road," said Reed. "Many of the trees that were cut down to do this were in the Woodlands Preservation Area," she continued. "We're told that you won't know whose property the sidewalk is on until the whole project is finished. Say what?" she asked? "All Albemarle County citizens should be very concerned, apparently, a 'no' in public can become a 'yes' in private." Reed concluded with, "You all voted on this and all have a responsibility to see that it's done correctly."

The petition, signed by 92 Woodbrook residents, asks supervisors to order the developer, Coleway Development, to remove the unapproved portion of the roadway.

'X' Marks the Spot: This satellite photo shows the approximate position of the road's end point. You can clearly see the corner of Brookmere Road and Idlewood drive in the Woodbrook neighborhood. The County owns the land in between.

It seems clear that Supervisors either forgot their previous ban on the connection, or were uninterested in enforcing it. They were remarkably out of touch with the facts. "[it] doesn't go anywhere near Woodbrook or the lagoon", said Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas referring to the road that ends just feet from the neighborhood. "It's not going toward Woodbrook," said chairperson Ann Mallek. "It's a lovely path, it runs down along the stream," said one supervisor. "It's going to be a terrific amenity for the people that live out there," he continued, apparently unaware that the supervisor's April 2010 decision ordered that this section of the road be barricaded to pedestrian access. "They wouldn't like it if we couldn't get there when it backed up and flooded all over their neighborhood," said Ann Mallek referring to the portion of the road that is not in contention.

Even heroic attempts by Directory of Community Development Mark Graham were unable to get the supervisors back on course.

But perhaps the most dramatic denial of any Board responsibility for their April 2010 vote came from one supervisor who said, "My posture on it has been that people that have called me, contacted me, is that this is in Rodney's district so I'm just leaving it to him -- I don't want to get in the middle of it."

Supervisors change their tune: Listen as supervisors vote 6-0 against a connection to Woodbrook at a public hearing held in April 2010.

Many Woodbrook residents were offended by the nature and tone of supervisors' comments that included remarks such as "Woodbrook people were jumping sky-high off the ground," and "the people were so impatient." One supervisor suggested wearing a "football helmet" or "flack jacket" when working with residents here. "They are mocking us," said one Woodbrook resident.

The Friday meeting, promised by Supervisor Rodney Thomas, was canceled by Thomas Friday morning. No definite date for a new meeting has been set.

Click here for our complete coverage of this story. Portions of the audio in this story were provided courtesy of Charlottesville Tomorrow. They also have an excellent story on this subject.

County Officials Meet with Woodbrook Residents

2011-10-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

On the right: County planning representatives Greg Harper, Bill Fritz and Mark Graham and Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas met with Woodbrook residents Monday on the Arden Place site.

Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas, Director of Community Development Mark Graham and County Planner Bill Fritz met Monday with Woodbrook Residents on the Arden Place site to discuss problems arising from the wrongly constructed trail to Woodbrook.

Bill Fritz opened the meeting with a summary of the project thus far. During his review, Fritz conceded that "[the path is] not built the way the site plan showed it".

Director Mark Graham then confirmed that the access road should have stopped at the Arden Place storm water management facility (SWM). "What they showed on the approved plan was that [the road] should have stopped right down there before those concrete piers that they have built now," he said. "They have built something more, it's not shown on the approved plan," he concluded.

Listen: Listen to the complete audio from the meeting. (54m)

Graham: "I'm not sure we, as the County, would have a reason for denying [the path]."

But it was Graham's next statement that clearly angered Woodbrook residents. Referring to the portion of the path connecting with Woodbrook he said, "...because if it is on their property, I think they have the ability to do that on their own property." he continued, "it would be a minor amendment to their plan, it would be a small change, but I'm not sure we, as the County, would have a reason for denying it," he said.

Graham's comment unleashed a storm of protests from residents. "So, are you saying that the Board of Supervisors over stepped their authority when they said that the path was not to connect to Woodbrook," asked one resident. "No, not at all," replied Graham. "this is why the Board was willing and actually interested in getting this dedicated to them, because that's the one way the Board could assure that the developer never had the ability to make a connection," he said.

"I'm confused," said one resident, "because [the Board] said that the path would stop at the Carmike, so why were we told that back in April 2010 if you're saying now that [the County] has no authority - that [Arden Place] can build anything they want on their property, why did that come up that it would stop at the Carmike." she said. Another resident then added "There's a disconnect here, it really seems like the Board of Supervisors made a commitment that they weren't legally entitled to make, that's what it sounds like... as far as restricting them on their property." to which Graham answered "I can't speak to that."

Resident: "There's a disconnect here, it really seems like the Board of Supervisors made a commitment that they weren't legally entitled to make."

Some residents took exception to Graham's comment "if it is on their property," asking why the County was not sure where the path is, and why County officials called this meeting without doing their homework first.

"It just seems very suspicious," said Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed, "it's like asking for forgiveness rather than permission," she added.

Residents also questioned what benefits the community could reasonably expect to enjoy from the open space dedication. "The plan is a binding agreement which was given to us in return for [Arden Place] being granted the right to build the apartment complex," said one resident. "I just don't agree that they can just do whatever they want," he added.

It was perhaps WCA President Susan Reed who best articulated residents concern with the process. "[We thought] we had it in black and white, not to go past the Carmike", she said. "It's starting to look like there's an agenda," she added.

Reed also talked about the effect of increased noise in the neighborhood. "We lost a lot of noise buffer with trees being cut down that didn't need to be cut down," she said.

"Visibly absent from the meeting were representatives from Coleway Development, the developers of the property."

Visibly absent from the meeting were representatives from Coleway Development, the developers of the property. "The developer should be here answering to us," said one resident who lives near the present end point of the path.

When asked if Arden Place developers were aware of the problem, Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas said, "I have talked to him and he said he will do anything within reason that the Board wants him to do."

"Then your telling us that there is nothing that the County can do," asked one resident. "We can certainly ask the developer to take this out. What I don't have the answer for, quite frankly tonight, is can we require him to take it out," said Graham.

But an investigation by this blog revealed that the Woodbrook leg of the trail is situated on land included in the open space dedication and therefore falls under the purview of County Supervisors.

"I would suggest that everybody be patient and let the contractor finish," said Thomas. Residents agreed that they have been more than patient for almost two years since the project was first submitted to the Planning Commisssion. One resident pointed out that "patience" could work to the detriment of the County in establishing wrongdoing on the part of the developer. He pointed out that waiting to act could be interpreted as an implicit approval of the developer's actions.

Reed: "To me the issue is also that you said 'X' in black in white, 'Y' happened. What good does it do to go to public meetings and get approval if this kind of circuitous logic can be applied?"

One resident asked how the County plans to enforce the requirement for the barricade requested by Supervisors in April 2010. "That's an excellent point," said Graham, "because what the Board only said is we were to request the developer to barricade, there was not a requirement that it be barricaded," said Graham.

Most residents agreed, there has been a failure of process here. "To me the issue is also that you said 'X' in black in white, 'Y' happened. What good does it do to go to public meetings and get approval if this kind of circuitous logic can be applied," said Reed.

One resident asked if the developer submits a minor amendment to the County for the trail, would it be approved administratively or could the issue be referred back to the Planning Commission for public comment. The question was also raised as to whether or not the developer has included the effect of the wrongfully constructed asphalt trail in his storm water management calculations, and if not, could the required amendment to the site plan be bumped up to a major amendment and subsequent public hearing.

The meeting concluded with a commitment by Supervisor Thomas to meet with the developer to resolve the issue. He promised to report back to the community by week's end.

Site Plan Reveals Full Extent of Path Construction Error

2011-10-02T09:56:00.003-04:00

A June 2010 site plan obtained by this blog reveals the full extent of errors made during the construction of a storm water management access road behind the Arden Place development. According to this plan, the road was to be constructed of gravel and end roughly 100 feet beyond the Carmike theater connection.

Interactive Site Plan: Move the green slider to the left to see the plan as-approved or to the right for as-built. The approved 100-foot gravel access road to the Arden Place storm water management system (SWM) is shown above in green, the 200-foot unapproved portion of the path in red. Woodbrook is located at the upper right, the Carmike theater to the upper left. (Click to Enlarge)

But that's not what happened. The gravel access road (green) was wrongly paved, and incorrectly extended another 200 feet (red) to the Woodbrook Lagoon. The plan also shows the tree line of the Woodland Preservation Area where many trees were removed. We are presently studying photos of this area taken in 2010 to determine the amount of damage done to this natural forest.

Shown in green on the map above, this portion of the path was approved by Supervisors in April 2010 as a gravel road. The path should have ended just past the abutments in this photo. The future location of the Arden Place storm water management system is shown to the right. You can see the path heading off to Woodbrook in the distance.

A view just north of the abutments in the previous photo. This portion of the path, shown in red on the map above, should never have been built. It extends approximately 200 feet in the Woodbrook direction.

The same section of the path as shown in the last photo, but looking back toward Arden Place from the Woodbrook Lagoon. This is the far right section of the path shown in red on the map above.

Residents are being asked to contact the Woodbrook Community Association with their concerns.

Local Media Covers Woodbrook Path Story

2011-09-30T07:55:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, local media outlets CBS19 News and NBC29 News published stories on the Woodbrook path controversy.

County: Path to Woodbrook Paved by Mistake

2011-09-25T07:30:00.002-04:00

The Road to Woodbrook. This 8-foot wide path is big enough to carry a full size automobile from the Carmike theater to the Woodbrook Lagoon. County officials conceded Thursday that it was built in error.

After several days of denial, Albemarle County officials conceded Thursday that the path to Woodbrook was paved in error. In a telephone interview with this blog, Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas said, "It was paved by mistake." The original plan, as directed by the Board of Supervisors on April 14, 2010, was clear - no paved path to Woodbrook. A document obtained from the County Web site confirmed that on April 22, 2010 the County properly instructed Arden Place developers to not construct the path.

The County's concession came after several days of email in which they maintained that the path was built as directed by the Board. "There has absolutely been a misunderstanding by the Woodbrook Residents of the original plans or what they have been told or have interpreted on their own," said Thomas in an email message to this blog on Wednesday. "The plan is being executed as presented in April 2010," he said. But when presented with a transcript of the April 2010 Board meeting the next day, Thomas agreed that the path should not have been paved.

The same area in April 2010, before the path was built.

Perhaps the strongest denials came from County planner Bill Fritz. In a Wednesday email message to Thomas and intended for distribution to Woodbrook residents, Fritz said, "All decisions the Board made are incorporated into the approved site plan." In response to numerous emails from angry Woodbrook residents Fritz said, "[Staff] will permit [the path] to remain asphalt." Woodbrook residents may recall that it was Fritz who first proposed a trail running from Rio Road to the Woodbrook Lagoon.

The majority of Woodbrook residents have been opposed to the path since it was first introduced in the fall of 2009 and were relieved when the Board of Supervisors directed developers not to build it in April 2010. They are not happy. "Arden Place needs to remove the road and plant trees," said one resident. In a sample polling of 15 Woodbrook residents selected at random Thursday, their position was unanimous - remove the Woodbrook leg of the path and replace the trees.

Many Woodbrook residents are also angry over the failure of the County to monitor a Board of Supervisors approved action. "They should honor their agreement they made with us back in April 2010, and rectify their mistake," said one resident.

Woodbrook residents will now have to decide how they want to handle this. What do you think should be done? We welcome your comments below.

Supervisors Say 'No' to Path. Developer Builds it Anyway

2011-09-18T08:00:00.003-04:00

In April 2010, County Supervisors instructed developers to delete the portion of the Arden Place path shown in red. On this map, Woodbrook is at the top right, the Carmike theater parking lot is to the top left. Developers built the path anyway.

Woodbrook residents of more than two years will no doubt recall the June 2009 Arden Place connection issue. Residents turned out at two Planning Commission meetings and one meeting of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to protest what was first a road then a path. At one meeting, over 30 Woodbrook residents spoke out against the connection. Finally, in April 2010, the Board of Supervisors agreed that the path was not to be built. Developers were not to connect Arden Place with Woodbrook.

Or so it seemed.

On Friday September 16, 2010, Arden Place developers dedicated their path, a path that does go all the way to Woodbrook. Stopping just a hundred or so feet short of the corner of Idlewood Drive and Brookmere Road, the path provides an easy entrance to the small treed buffer area that separates the Woodbrook Neighborhood and Arden Place.

The Woodbrook Neighborhood as seen from a point about 30 feet from the end of the path. The vehicle in this photo is parked at the corner of Idlewood Drive and Brookmere Road.

"I am very disappointed, upset, and concerned that the voted and agreed upon plans for the sidewalk from Arden Place were disregarded." wrote Woodbrook Community Association president Susan Reed in an email message to this blog. "The supervisors specifically voted against having the sidewalk come to the Woodbrook Lagoon," she added. Ms. Reed went on to express concerns about the process. "How can a voted upon plan be ignored?! Does no one check to make sure that the plans that were voted on are built to specification? Can people just ignore what was decided by the supervisors and do what they want?" she said. "I would think all citizens of Albemarle County would be concerned about the implications of this," said Reed.

Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas has asked County planners to look into the matter.

Coleway Development, the developers of Arden Place, did not immediately respond to our email request for comment.

Previous stories on this topic:

Woodbrook Speaks Up at Commission Meeting

Planning Commission Rejects Footpath to Woodbrook Lagoon

Supervisors Rescind November Decision

Summer Update

2011-06-26T11:31:00.000-04:00

Here's what's happening in Woodbrook this summer.

Woodbrook children attending Woodbrook Elementary School will be a little cooler this fall thanks to upgrades to the school's air conditioning system. "We are so pleased that the County's Capital Improvement Program was able to provide funding for the two projects at Woodbrook Elementary School, this summer," wrote Albemarle School Board Building Service's Andy Sterling in an email message to this blog. "The chiller that is being replaced is approximately 25 years old, incurred significant repair bills, and has reached the end of its useful life span," he added. "The new and modern replacement chiller will be more energy efficient and reliable, and will certainly improve the comfort of all of the building occupants," he said. The summer project also includes upgrading the kitchen HVAC and lighting systems.

Both projects are on schedule for an early August completion.

Workmen prepare to lift new chiller at Woodbrook Elementary School.

Woodbrook residents will no doubt recall the 2009 Arden Place issue. That summer, over 100 residents attended a hearing on a proposed roadway connection to the Arden Place development. The roadway was defeated. Arden Place is now under construction and can be seen through the trees from Idlewood Drive.

A view of Arden Place from Idlewood Drive. Note the roof peaks in the top center of this photo.

In May we gave you an update on the Woodbrook Lagoon Project. A temporary construction entrance has been build at the corner of Idlewood Drive and Brookmere Road. We haven't heard of any problems with noise or the movement of heavy equipment so far. If you live in this area, let us know if you are experiencing problems by commenting below.

Temporary construction road next to 2700 Idlewood Drive.

Heavy equipment and supplies for the Woodbrook Lagoon project. The project is expected to be largely completed by the end of July.

And lastly, we noted the presence of what appears to be construction trash on the property of Woodbrook Elementary School. We have been unable to determine the source of the material, but the pallet pictured in the foreground looks similar to those used to deliver concrete blocks for the Carson Raymond Foundation dugouts. If you have information on the source of this material please post your comments below.

Construction trash located behind a dugout at Woodbrook Elementary School.

County Begins Construction on Woodbrook Lagoon Project

2011-05-22T08:50:00.002-04:00

The Woodbrook Lagoon project has been in the planning stage for almost four years. Construction began last week.

Water Resources Manager Greg Harper has spent the last six years working on water management projects for Albemarle County. A portion of his time for the last four of those years has been dedicated to the Woodbrook Lagoon project. The project's construction phase began last week. On Thursday I interviewed Mr. Harper about the project.

"Our goal all along was to essentially capture some of the storm water that flows down through that area," said Harper. The project also plans to remove pollutants and attenuate the water flows to protect the stream downstream. "[We want] to ecologically enhance the area," he added.

Listen to our full-length interview with Water Resources Manager, Greg Harper:

Listen: Introduction (3m)
Listen: A brief history of the Woodbrook Lagoon (5m)
Listen: The project's goals (8m)
Listen: Awarding the contract (1m)
Listen: Equipment movement (3m)
Listen: Noise issues (2m)
Listen: Project completion (3m)
Listen: Accessing the finished project (6m)
Listen: The planting of trees and shrubs (2m)
Listen: The dewatering pumps (2m)
Listen: Questions and problems (2m)

As Woodbrook's long-term residents know, the Lagoon has been a bit of a sore point with the community. In the 1970s it was used for the dumping of raw or partially treated sewage. According to Harper, that wasn't completely rectified until the 1980s. "I'm sure the neighborhood was happy to see it go," said Harper referring to a 1984 clean up of the Lagoon.

In the past, others have worked on the Lagoon, not always to its improvement. "This channel now follows this path that was probably excavated by a big machine into the Arden Place side of the Lagoon," said Harper. Harper points out that a healthy stream likes to meander rather than follow an artificially made straight path.

Greg Harper (Photo courtesy Charlottesville Tomorrow)

"We are looking at the vegetation on the site, and the streams, and we are going to remove invasive trees and shrubs and grasses to the extent we can and plant back a lot of native species," said Harper. "What we have is a really nice ecology on that property that is going to serve wild life and be an attractive place to walk through," he said.

The County plans to make a minimal impact on the area. "We are not going to be moving a lot of soil out there," said Harper. "We are not going to be taking out a lot of big trees, and we will be planting a lot of trees back."

Equipment and vehicles will enter the site via the existing road stub at the corner of Brookmere Road and Idlewood Drive. Dump trucks and track backhoes will be used for the majority of the construction. "We want to keep our construction footprint as small as possible," Harper said.

With regard to noise during construction Harper said he does not expect this to be a problem. Weekend work will require special permission from the County, and that permission will only be given in unusual circumstances. Harper expects work crews will begin working around 7:00 am, finishing up around 6:00 pm. It's expected that the project will be largely completed by the end of July.

Access to the Lagoon will be pretty much as it is today. "This project doesn't involve trail building," said Harper. Woodbrook access will continue to be via Idlewood Drive. No special provisions are being made for access from the Arden Place side.

Woodbrook residents with questions or problems may contact the project manager, Gregor Patsch, at 434-872-4501 x 7914 or by email at . You can learn more about the Woodbrook Lagoon project here.

Mr. Harper has kindly offered to answer questions posted in the comment area below.

Woodbrook Field Dedicated

2011-04-24T11:46:00.001-04:00

Carson Raymond Foundation President John Raymond dedicated the new field yesterday. "It's done," said Raymond.

Carson Raymond Foundation officials formally opened Woodbrook field before a hundred or so members of the general public yesterday. "It's done!" exclaimed Foundation President John Raymond at the ceremony. Some Woodbrook residents disagreed, or they would have, had they been informed of the event.

Neither was there any mention of the role played by Woodbrook residents in the design of the field. Residents attended four meetings at the school between December 2009 and June 2010 where some neighbors voiced their concern about the effect of the structures on neighborhood crime. At one such meeting, held on April 24, 2010, the Foundation committed, in writing, to "[Keep] the lockable chain link swinging gates to prevent anyone from entering the dugout areas when the field is not being used for t-ball." As of yesterday's dedication, the dugouts were neither screened off nor locked.

On the left, a computer rendering of the north dugout as presented to neighbors in April 2010. On the right, as built. Notice the absence of screening designed to keep vandals out.

Absent too were the bleachers that Foundation officials billed as a place where Woodbrook residents could sit and enjoy the field while their children played.

But perhaps the biggest oversight was the failure of the Foundation to offer an invitation to Woodbrook residents to attend yesterday's dedication. "To be able to provide something like this to the community feels pretty good" said Raymond in his opening remarks. "No, I did not get an invitation," said Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed in an email message to this blog.

Trash found in the dugouts the morning after opening day events. From left to right clothing, cable ties and a vandal's dream come true, a can of spray paint.

Woodbrook's Christmas Lights 2010

2010-12-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

Here we go with our second annual Woodbrook Christmas lights photo shoot. Some of the displays we photographed last year have been retired and some new ones have appeared.

Our apologies to those of you with great Christmas light displays that we missed or were unable to photograph.

Presidential Motorcade Passes by Woodbrook Neighborhood

2010-11-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

Approximately a dozen Woodbrook residents gathered at the corner of Woodbrook Drive and US29 to view the Presidential motorcade as it departed Charlottesville on October 29, 2010.

Prior to the arrival of the President's motorcade, US29 had been cleared of all traffic leaving it eerily quiet. All access in and out of Woodbrook was blocked for about 30 minutes at 6:30 p.m. then again at 8:30 p.m. in anticipation of the motorcade.

About a dozen Woodbrook residents gathered to view the Presidential motorcade. Watch the motorcade pass the entrance to the Woodbrook subdivision in this four minute video.

The motorcade was preceded by a spotlight-equipped helicopter moving northward along the roadway. Following that, a dozen police officers on motorbikes, riding in formation, roared northward in both the northbound and southbound lanes. A few moments later a second wave of police officers on motorbikes cruised by. Finally, the motorcade, approximately 20 vehicles in length, passed the Woodbrook entrance.

President Obama was in Charlottesville in support of Democratic candidate Tom Periello's bid for reelection to Congress on Tuesday.

Dugout Construction Slow

2010-10-17T09:37:00.005-04:00

Regular readers of this blog will recall that the Carson Raymond Foundation is building two new dugouts on the field at Woodbrook Elementary school. Many Woodbrook residents are puzzled by the apparent slow progress of construction following this summer's rush for approvals.

Dugout construction as of October 10, 2010. Since this photo was taken, orange construction fencing has been added for the safety of Woodbrook school children. Construction of both dugouts began in August.

Dugout construction began sometime in August, but has languished since then. Carson Raymond Foundation officials pushed hard for a summer approval of their plans on the basis that dugout construction would be completed by the start of the school year. Most Woodbrook residents had less than ten days notice of the school board's public hearing in July. The Albemarle County Planning Commission typically provides eight weeks notice prior to a public hearing.

According to a Carson Raymond Foundation spokesman, the Foundation plans to complete the work "this fall."

Stink Bugs Invade Woodbrook

2010-09-26T15:18:00.002-04:00

Stink Bugs, like the one pictured above, have invaded Albemarle County.

There's an invasion going on in Woodbrook right now. The Asian Stink Bug has arrived. These pesky little creatures work their way into porches, garages and occasionally find their way inside our homes.

Woodbrook resident Gerald Petencin sent us this story about the Stink Bug invasion in Albemarle County. You will also find a lot of good information on combating these pests here.

What are you doing about this problem? Tell us your Stink Bug story in the comment section below.

Woodbrook Residents Elect New WCA Officers

2010-09-21T16:49:00.002-04:00

At their annual picnic held Sunday, Woodbrook residents elected two new members and returned four others to the board of the Woodbrook Community Association.

The new WCA board of directors. From left to right: Susan Reed (President), John Donnadio (Vice-President), Allison O'Grady (Co-Secretary), Cristiane França (Co-Secretary), Steve Vondra (Co-Treasurer) and Bonnie Morgan (Co-Treasurer). Reed, Donnadio, O'Grady and França return from the previous board.

Residents enjoyed a tasty buffet.

Woodbrook Elementary School's new principal, Lisa Molinaro, spoke briefly to the gathering. "Especially today, where we are big and motropolized, the idea of neighborhood schools are hard to come by" said Molinaro. "To be able to lead in a school where the community is literally in our back yard is something that I'm inspired by," she said. "I want you guys to know our doors are always open, whatever I can do to support the whole Woodbrook community, I will certainly do my very best." she concluded. Molinaro invited members of the Woodbrook community to participate in school activities. "I've got lots of little kindergarteners who love to be read to," she said. Molinaro went on to invite all Woodbrook residents to attend school PTO meetings if they wish to do so. The meetings are held on the last Monday of every month.

Fire truck tour

Captain Jack Shakhsheer, with the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department, thanked the WCA for the invitation to join residents at today's picnic. "[We love] showing off our trucks," he said referring to the fire truck tours that took place earlier in the afternoon. "If you all ever need us, feel free to call 911 -- we're always happy to help out." he said. "Thank you for making us a part of your community," he added. "If you guys ever need anything we're located right down the road, [dial] 911 [or] 973-1717." he said.

Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas

Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas then took questions from neighbors. "We are looking for businesses that will be good for this neighborhood and good for the entire county," he said responding to a question about Albemarle square. When asked about development in the new Stellar One property, Thomas indicated that at present there are no applications pending before county staff for any major restaurant franchises. "I'd be glad to help with it," said Thomas referring to a question about restoring the Woodbrook Neighborhood sign at Woodbrook Drive and US29. Thomas added that Woodbrook residents would likely be required to pay for the new sign. "I'll talk to [Mr.] Logan and I'll open the door, but I would like to have someone from the [WCA] step in and take care of it." he said. "I'll do anything I can to help you to get the sign back up," he concluded.

WCA co-secretary Cristiane França then led a contest in which residents competed for prizes in several categories including longest resident (43 years), most children attending Woodbrook Elementary School (4) and newest resident (August). All attendees received a coupon for a free Sandwich Meal courtesy of Chick-fil-A.

WCA President Susan Reed

WCA President Susan Reed then addressed the group on a number of issues affecting Woodbrook residents. She confirmed that neighbors wished to continue receiving crime reports by email. "I would like it if the neighborhood didn't have to foot the whole cost for that," said Reed referring to replacing the Woodbrook Neighborhood entrance sign. "I really do feel that the people who knocked it down -- that should be their dime to fix it." she added. Reed reminded neighbors to check the credentials of any door-to-door solicitors and to call 911 if anything seems suspicious. Reed went on to invite neighbors to sign up for a committee of their choice "We think it would be helpful to have some committees for some of this stuff instead of expecting the four officers to do it all," said Reed. Neighbors applauded loudly in appreciation for Reed's service as president during the past year.

Several neighbors also expressed their appreciation for this blog.

A moon bounce was provided for the kids.

Ideas for next year include restoring the Woodbrook entrance sign, a review of power problems and a visit by local police to address crime issues. Neighbors were reminded that ticks have caused two recent cases of Lyme disease in the neighborhood.

The event was held in the Woodbrook Elementary School cafeteria. Approximately 40 Woodbrook residents enjoyed the luncheon that included grilled chicken and baked ziti provided by WCA Vice-President John Donnadio. Residents also took advantage of the time to renew friendships with their neighbors.

Opinion: What Happened to Process?

2010-07-25T09:46:00.001-04:00

Albemarle County planners last week quietly approved what they call a "minor" amendment to allow the construction of concrete block dugouts at Woodbrook Elementary School.

For those of you that are new to this story, the Carson Raymond Foundation, in conjunction with the Albemarle County School Board, will build two concrete block dugouts at Woodbrook School. Each structure is roughly the size of a two story building on its side. Woodbrook residents opposed the construction by a margin of roughly 3 to 1.

Woodbrook residents met with Foundation officials on four separate occasions, but were unable to come to an agreement on the design of the dugouts. At a meeting of the Albermarle County School board on July 8, 2010, board members voted 4 -1 in favor of the construction, despite the protests of 11 Woodbrook residents that spoke out against the project. Four residents supported it.

Usually, when a controversial project such as this one is proposed a process is launched in which all sides are heard by a disinterested third party. They then make the final decision on the development. But that didn't happen this time.

"If someone wanted to give me a new car, for free, I'd vote for that too."

Sure, the School Board held a public hearing, but are they a disinterested third party? Hardly. By approving the project, they get significant improvements on their property funded entirely by the private sector. Naturally, they have a strong bias toward approval. If someone wanted to give me a new car, for free, I'd vote for that too.

If your still not convinced that the school board had a vested interest in the outcome, consider this. In an email message, sent to hundreds of parents, school officials wrote, "There are currently a few members of the Woodbrook HOA who are opposed to dugouts because of fears of crime and diminished sight lines." Their email goes on to say, "The Woodbrook HOA has been quite vocal and our concern is their volume will take precedence." They might as well have said "Everyone come out and beat up the neighbors." That's hardly a "disinterested" third party. This misuse of publicly funded school facilities to rally support against a neighborhood begs an investigation of its own.

Prior to the meeting, 17 Woodbrook residents wrote school board members asking them to reconsider. As mentioned earlier, eleven opposed the development at the meeting itself. These numbers alone should have justified a public hearing by the Albemarle County Planning Commission.

And what about those four meetings with the Carson Raymond Foundation? While it's true that Foundation officials were always courteous and respectful to Woodbrook residents, they had little or no real incentive to make meaningful concessions. They're accountable only to their members.

"Fritz went ahead anyway and approved the project before the meeting date arrived."

To be fair, on July 12th, and in an email message to this blog, county planning staff's Chief of Current Development Bill Fritz said, "You may want to appear before the Board of Supervisors at their next meeting which is July 14th starting at 6 p.m. They have an item on their agenda called 'Matters from the Public'. This is an opportunity to bring any issue to the Board's attention. If the Board instructs [planning] staff not [to] act on this project administratively I would then process the application as I would a major project. The abutting owners could request Planning Commission review." But that gave residents just two days to organize an appeal, an unreasonable expectation. Residents asked if they could have until August 4th to organize, the date of the Supervisor's next meeting. It was a generous compromise considering that residents wishing to appear would have to take time off work to do so. But Fritz went ahead anyway and approved the project before the meeting date arrived.

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'poor loser'."

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "poor loser". Not at all. When the Board of Supervisors last November reversed an earlier Planning Commission decision, I, along with several other residents wrote them. Here's a portion of my letter:

"Personally, I support the concept of neighborhoods interconnected by footpaths and said so publicly at the Planning Commission hearing in June. You might think I would welcome the Board's decision to widen and extend the Arden Place path. But instead I am deeply disappointed by its decision, a decision made largely without regard for the civic process that preceded it."

Following the appeal, the Board of Supervisors had the good sense to call a public hearing and subsequently reversed its decision. The path I had supported was gone, but the people had been heard. That's how a healthy society works.

Whether your "side" won or lost on this question is not the issue. The issue here is that the planning process failed us all. The freedom to speak and be fairly heard is at the heart of the democratic process itself.

This time we all lost.

School Board Approves Dugouts

2010-07-09T11:00:00.001-04:00

A computer rendering of the approved design. An alternate design presented by neighbors was not considered.

Despite overwhelming opposition by Woodbrook residents, the Albermarle County School board last evening voted 4-1 to approve the construction of concrete block dugouts at Woodbrook Elementary School. Only Rio District board member Pamela Moynihan opposed the move. Board member Brian Wheeler was absent.

Of the 15 Woodbrook residents who spoke at the meeting, all but four opposed the construction. According to Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed, of the 19 residents who emailed school officials earlier this week, 17 were opposed.

Ms. Moynihan challenged Carson Raymond officials to return to the community to work out a solution that would be acceptable to both the Foundation and residents. Ms. Moynihan also expressed her concern that the project proceed without the good will of the neighbors. Board members did not ask the Foundation to provide costs for the ongoing maintenance of the structures or graffiti removal.

School Board Chairman Ron Price had to interrupt the meeting on more than one occasion to call for quiet among Foundation supporters. Earlier this week, the Foundation invited over 500 of its followers on Facebook to attend the meeting.

We hope to post the full audio from the meeting shortly.

Dugouts: An Open Letter to Woodbrook Residents

2010-07-03T09:34:00.002-04:00

Editor's Note: The following is an open letter to all Woodbrook residents by Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed. In this letter Ms. Reed discusses many of the issues surrounding the construction of concrete block dugouts at Woodbrook Elementary School by the Carson Raymond Foundation. It is presented here in its entirety. There will be a public meeting on the issue at the County office building on July 8th.

I felt that I should write and let you all know some of the background on these dugouts as many of you don't know the whole story. The Foundation first put an announcement on our blog and stated that they wanted to improve the baseball field. They mentioned a few things, among them "adding [a] bench or dug-out for seating". It all sounded fairly innocuous and so we didn't go to the meeting as it was a busy time. However, one Woodbrook resident went and became alarmed at the scope of the project they were discussing. On looking at the Carson Raymond Foundation website, we decided we had better get involved and so called Dr. Sterrett and inserted ourselves into the process. In our first meeting with Dr. Sterrett we were told that if the dugouts upset people, they would just take them off the table. That was the last time that offer was made! Now they won't consider doing so.

"You've probably heard that we refuse to compromise."

There have been many things that we were told that weren't really true. On more than one occasion, we were told that the Foundation needed no further approval from anyone because it was just improvements to an existing ball field. We found out that wasn't true; all things being built on a school facility require approval from the School Board. You have probably heard that we refuse to compromise. In reality, we offered a design for an open dugout that was immediately shot down. They are insisting on locks and the cinder block look. We asked if the stones could be in earth tones at least and were told that the stones only come in gray. We have found sources that do have them in other colors. The only compromises they were willing to make was to put fencing in the top half (which will also rust) and to cut the size of the dugouts by two feet.

"I am concerned about crime."

I am concerned about crime. True, Woodbrook already has many places to hide. But police will tell you that one of the best deterrents to crime is to keep open areas. These dugouts are large. The picture you may have seen makes them appear to be the size of garden sheds, but they will be 18 feet long each. That is two structures almost as big as a two story building on its side. That's also not to mention the nine trees and the bushes they intend on planting around the area. Much of our recent crime sprees have been in areas close to the school where it would be easier to dart in and out of the school yard. This would certainly facilitate hiding!

Another point that hasn't been made is the fact that the Foundation will pay for the initial building; but all the upkeep, maintenance, and repairs will be the responsibility of the school.

"All the upkeep, maintenance, and repairs will be the responsibility of the school"

The Foundation wants to build and leave the upkeep to volunteers and the school. This is something that is primarily for non-school use (despite Dr. Sterrett's assertion that they could be used for PE and he needed dugouts to "corral kindergartners". This means that any graffiti removal (which is VERY expensive), repairs, trash clean up, maintenance, etc. would be paid for by the school. You can't read the paper anymore without reading how the schools are hurting for money and will have to make big cuts. Is this a wise use of their funds? And what hope do we have of keeping the dugouts in good condition when the new track is already in disrepair? It would seem to me that it would be much easier to maintain a track (which is not being done) than it would be to mow under bleachers, clean graffiti off dugouts, etc. etc.

Property value is something else to consider. Twenty-three homes will have these dugouts in their backyard view. Woodbrook is the ONLY school where this would be the case as we are the ONLY county school that is completely surrounded by homes. It may be very hard to sell homes surrounding the school because of that. The view is one thing, but extra games, noise, parking on grass, trash, etc. will result. If that happens, property values in the whole neighborhood will go down. Not only would that not be good for the community, but it would not be good for the school either. I was recently getting my hair cut and someone mentioned the news they had seen about the dugouts. Everyone there was commenting how ugly they were and why on earth would they put those in Woodbrook? Mind you, these weren't people I knew or who knew I was a Woodbrook resident. So it's not far fetched to think a realtor might have a hard time selling "the lovely concrete dugout view"!

"We were to be the test case to see what worked and what doesn't work."

We have also been told several different things about the use of these dugouts. First we were told many times that the dugouts were strictly for practice. If that's the case, they are unnecessary. Practices don't last that long and t-ball age children (age 5-8) don't need fancy dugouts. (If you give them everything at a young age, what's left to hope for?). Then they started talking about games. It doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to see them increasing activity there. Soccer is by far the more popular sport and they need the room as well. If you put these large structures in, you are limiting who else can use the field. You are also increasing traffic to the neighborhood, noise, people parking on the grass, trash left, etc. We were also told that we were to be the test case to see what worked and what doesn't work. It would make far more sense to build these kind of dugouts at a free standing school where a neighborhood would not be so affected by all these issues.

When Woodbrook was built, schools were primarily for education. I say this not to denigrate the education at the school now; but to say that all the sports issues weren't really considered when building. They didn't envision so much activity going on when they surrounded the school with homes. I say again, we are the ONLY Albemarle county school that is completely surrounded by homes and it DOES make a difference.

I worry about liability and attractive nuisance issues. You can bet that kids are going to be climbing on dugouts. Heck, they climb on the roof of the school building and that's a lot harder to do!

Woodbrook residents are not opposed to field improvements or to making a memorial to Carson Raymond. We are in a very sensitive situation: we realize that there has been unimaginable pain on the part of the Raymond family in the death of their son; however, we have to live in the neighborhood! Whatever gets built here will be here for MANY years.

"The size and scope of this is not appropriate for our neighborhood."

If something ends up being a problem, we would take no pleasure in saying, "I told you so!" As I said, we are not opposed to having some sort of memorial here, but the size and scope of this is not appropriate for our neighborhood. We have to live here with whatever is built and with the consequences (intended or unintended) of said structure. As Mr. Spock would say, "It is not logical." And these dugouts are certainly NOT logical for this neighborhood. Simple benches with some sort of memorial plaque would seem to be more fitting here. The neighborhood could also make use of such benches. There is no benefit to the neighborhood of having large locked structures that the community can't use.

There are many drawbacks: the twenty-three homes with the very altered backyard view, the increased traffic, parking in the grass and in front of people's driveways

"There are many drawbacks:"

(which occurs now, but would get worse with more people coming in), more trash, more potential hiding places for people up to no good, school funds going for maintenance, etc,etc. Why doesn't the Carson Raymond Foundation consider fixing Lane field which was decimated in the recent microburst and has no idea how they're going to fix it? That is the field that is used by Central Little League baseball. And how about baseball camp scholarships? Or put dugouts at a free standing school? The name of Carson Raymond can be spread elsewhere besides just at the school he attended for, sadly, too few years. Besides everything else, the percentage of kids in this neighborhood who play t-ball is very small so you're asking for a lot of disruption to serve only a few. (And, again, if it's just for practice it's very unnecessary and if you're throwing games in that's a lot more going on than the Foundation kept insisting was going to happen!)

As I said before, we cannot imagine the pain the Raymond family feels and have no wish cause them further pain. But we live in Woodbrook and these are our homes and we have to consider what is best for us.

P.S. In case you are wondering, I had two girls who played softball and one son who was an avid t-ball and baseball player.

Thanks for your time and attention to this matter.

Susan Reed
President,
Woodbrook Community Association

Fact Checking the Foundation

2010-06-27T07:55:00.001-04:00

The Thursday June 24, 2010 edition of WINA's The Shilling Show featured an interview with Carson Raymond Foundation's Fund Raising Chairman Dana Alston. During the interview, Mr. Alston answered questions on a number of topics relating to the Foundation's plans to construct dugouts at Woodbrook Elementary School.

We've done some fact checking on Mr. Alston's statements. Our analysis follow his comments which are show in italics below.

"We had four meetings, now, with the Woodbrook Community -- we've amended [the design] after each meeting." While it's true there were four meetings, only the second and third meetings resulted in amendments to the design.

"As a board we're kind of surprised and confused - we've made every change that they've asked for." Woodbrook Community leaders requested an open, wooden framed design at its third and fourth meetings. The Foundation has so far declined to consider any proposals other than its own split-faced concrete block design.

"I don't know why they felt [the dugouts] was a new nuisance [for crime]." For reasons not fully understood by us, dugouts, particularly concrete block dugouts, are a magnet for vandals and graffiti. A Google search for "dugouts AND graffiti" produced more than 25,000 hits, the majority of those are related to vandalism.

The photos in this slide show were collected from an Internet search under in ten minutes. There are many other stories of dugout vandalism for which photos were not available.

"There's not going to be anything older than a t-ball child playing in there, anyway, so we can't have big massive games and older kids there anyhow." In a December 6, 2009 interview with this blog, Carson Raymond Foundation President John Raymond said, "The first part of the plan is to tear down the existing backstop, which we did two weeks ago, it was old and not really useful for a Little League field." According to Wikipedia, t-ball is a game played by children from 5 to 8 years of age, Little League is for children aged 9 to 12.

"Athletic programs have proven that it reduces crime that children have another activity to be involved in." Reports from Woodbrook residents suggest that it's teenage children that are committing the current rash of crimes, not t-ball aged children.

"A field of that size only holds a t-ball game." While it's true that the field is not usable for softball, it will have 60-foot baselines making it suitable for both t-ball and Little League games.

"As many people that are opposed, we have that many people that are for [the dugouts]." According to a straw poll conducted by this blog earlier this year, Woodbrook residents are opposed to the screened, split-face concrete block dugout design by a factor of almost 3-1.

"I think that there's a small contingent that are really opposed to it but they seem to be carrying the loudest voices at this point." The Woodbrook Community Association's Board of Directors, the duly elected representatives for the community, are unanimously opposed to the construction of concrete block dugouts at the school.

You can listen to Mr. Alston's interview in its entirety here. As always, your comments are invited.

Happy Birthday WNB

2010-06-17T08:26:00.001-04:00

The Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog turns one today.

Today, June 17th, marks the first anniversary of the Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog.

There has been a lot to talk about in the last year. We began with a series of stories about a connecting road to Woodbrook, then a path. We interviewed two politicians, three planners, an elementary school principal and the president of a local foundation. We photographed the worst winter storm in a decade, the joy of Woodbrook's Christmas lights and the beauty of Woodbrook in spring. We brought you the full audio of two Planning Commission meetings, three Board of Supervisor meetings and two Woodbrook Elementary grounds meetings. And, last but not least, we took you on a video tour of the Woodbrook Lagoon.

Writing objectively about the place in which one lives isn't always easy. We read and re-read every story looking for places where personal opinion may have crept in. Most of the time we've succeeded at keeping our opinions out of our stories. We can always do better.

Naturally, we do have our own opinions on Woodbrook's future and in May we wrote our first editorial piece. We weren't sure if anyone would care about what we thought, but that story garnered more comments than any other we had written before it. Still, we see our role as reporters of neighborhood events, not shapers of them.

The Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog is an experiment in civic journalism. Quite frankly, we didn't expect it to last this long. We're still surprised on how much news there is to report. So far, all of our stories have had happy endings.

So, stay with us Woodbrook. There are many more stories to come.

Neighbors, Foundation Unable to Reach Agreement on Dugouts

2010-06-13T13:24:00.002-04:00

Woodbrook Community Association directors and Carson Raymond Foundation officials met Thursday evening in a fourth attempt to reach an agreement with the Foundation and local school officials on the future of the field at Woodbrook Elementary School. Regular readers of this blog may recall that the community has been meeting with the Foundation since last November on the issue. WCA directors are unanimously opposed to the construction of concrete block dugouts.

Two dugout designs. On the left a concrete block design proposed by the Carson Raymond Foundation. On the right, an open design preferred by some neighbors. Many Woodbrook residents are opposed to the construction of dugouts of any kind.

Representing the Foundation were President John Raymond and member Daren Lynch. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bruce Benson and Director of Building Services Joseph Letteri represented Albemarle County Schools. Outgoing principal Dr. William Sterrett represented the school. Woodbrook Community Association directors Susan Reed (President), John Donnadio (Vice-President), Cristiane França (Co-Secretary) and Mary Hobson (Treasurer) represented the neighborhood.

Dr. Sterrett opened the meeting with a review of events to date. Daren Lynch then presented the Foundation's latest plans. Dugout length has been reduced from 20 feet to 18 feet. At this size Mr. Lynch believes that these dugouts would be the smallest in the area. The size of the back wall was reduced to 2 feet 10 inches to increase visibility from the rear. The overall height of the proposed dugouts would be 9 feet 1 inch in the front and 7 feet 8 1/2 inches in the back. The roof and trim would be in earth tones, the split-face concrete block would continue to be gray. "That only comes in a gray color," said Mr. Lynch.

A discussion followed. "The stone building and the locked gates are the things that I think we have the most trouble with," said WCA director Mary Hobson. With regard to crime, "We've had this rash of car break-ins on weekends – my kids had two bikes stolen last weekend," she said. "It's just going to be a magnet for kids to go back there," she added. "It looks like some place to go hide – and to cause trouble," she concluded.

"Dugouts, especially these kind of enclosed ones just seem kind of over the top," said President Susan Reed when referring the school's use of the dugouts. Reed went on to say that many neighbors fear that once the dugouts are built that the field will become a major center for Little League games.

With regard to the requirement to lock the dugouts, Dr. Sterrett said "we keep kids from being in them when we don't want them to be." The locking of the dugouts has been a sore point for neighbors as it prevents the neighborhood from enjoying the structures after school hours.

In answer to Ms. Reed's question of who will be responsible for the new structures, Mr. Letteri said, "Building services is ultimately responsible for the school grounds." Dr. Bruce Benson added, "Basically anything that's built with donated funds, for structures that are on our property, ultimately become our responsibility." WCA President Susan Reed countered with, "It does seem ironic, though that the school would have to have ultimate responsibility when every time you turn on anything the school is saying we don't have any money for anything."

"We don't need anything else, that's all they need," said WCA board member Cristiane França referring to the existing field. Many here see the concrete block dugouts as overkill for t-ball aged children. "It's just one more thing for [criminals] to play with or for them to get in trouble and for us to have to deal with," she said. "It's another place to hide." Susan Reed added, "That's why, for a lot of people, the preference would be [no dugouts] at all".

"Why can't it be just an open, shaded, structure," asked WCA Vice-President John Donnadio, "it doesn't have to be mortar and brick," he added. On the question of open or no dugouts at all, President Reed clarified, "The reason people were [suggesting] the open dugouts was as sort of a compromise. But if you asked them do they want the locked, closed in [dugouts] or nothing a all, it would be nothing at all."

When asked if he thought criminals would break the locks to obtain a hiding spot, John Donnadio said, "no question about it." John went on to say that he favored open dugouts that provided shade and were visible from all sides.

"What about rust issues with that fencing?" asked WCA President Susan Reed to which Foundation President John Raymond replied, "We have a vested interest in this field being a good representation of our son." John went on to recall a memory from his own childhood, "When we played [on a] field that had dugouts, we [felt like] major leaguers. It was a big deal, it was huge." He concluded with "We as a foundation [and] me as an individual, are going to make sure that this property is maintained."

Reed was not convinced. "Whatever is built – we're kind of stuck with. They're not going to come and take it out once it's in." She added, "We won't get any satisfaction out of saying 'we told you' so and we won't know that you're right unless it's built."

When asked about landscaping asked by WCA board member Cristiane França, Foundation member Daren Lynch answered, "Nine Redbud trees are going to be planted around the perimeter of the field and some holly bushes behind the dugouts."

John Raymond said, "Before we talk about a site, the grounds or anything else, the first question was what are your parent-volunteers like? Is this something you guys could self-support?" WCA directors did not comment.

The final decision on the dugouts now moves to the school board for a pubic hearing. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bruce Benson said, "Anybody that voiced concerns would have an opportunity to be heard, then the board would make a decision, based upon input, as to what to do next." Woodbrook residents have been known to turn out in droves for public hearings in the past. The date of the hearing has yet to be established.

Full audio from the meeting is here.

Previous stories on this subject:
Commentary: Neighbors dig in over dugouts
Foundation Meets with Woodbrook Residents
Foundation to Present Revised Field Plans Wednesday
Woodbrook Field Development On Hold
Residents Discuss New Ball Field Before Tuesday Meeting
Woodbrook Meeting Cancelled
Foundation to Address Neighborhood Concerns Tuesday
Woodbrook Elementary to Hold Grounds Meeting Tuesday

Woodbrook's Spring Colors 2010

2010-05-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

For many Virginians, Memorial Day weekend signals the end of spring and the beginning of summer. We thought we would celebrate the beginning of summer this year with a look back at Woodbrook's spring colors.

All of the photos in this album were taken inside our neighborhood this spring. We think you will agree with us that Woodbrook's spring colors are second to none.

We hope you will feel free to share this album with family and friends.

Commentary: Neighbors dig in over dugouts

2010-05-02T09:09:00.004-04:00

Woodbrook is a stable, quiet, middle class neighborhood where you will find families that have lived here for over 20 years. A few of them have purchased two homes in the neighborhood. It is a neighborhood of caring individuals who are active in the greater community. It's a place where, when faced with the worst December storm in recorded history, neighbors generously volunteered to help each other dig out.

For almost a year now, the Woodbrook Neighborhood has been under attack. Starting last May, residents first fought off a new road, then an eight-foot wide path connection to Arden Place. Now, the Carson Raymond Foundation wants to build two concrete block dugouts for Woodbrook Field that some have characterized as "bunkers".

The dugouts have become a particularly sore point with residents. In April, vandals in Manchester, NH destroyed the tee ball dugouts there. In 2008, school officials in Greenville, ME considered tearing down their dugouts when beer cans, cigarette butts, graffiti and condoms were found after a night of partying by local vandals. While it's true that Woodbrook School has offered to clean up the graffiti, and pick up the trash, these are problems that Woodbrook does not currently have.

One proposal offered by the school is to lock the dugouts. Locking the dugouts requires even more than the already overwhelming amount of chain link fencing. And, as every determined vandal knows, there are ways to get around locks. The only people who will really be stopped by locks are Woodbrook children looking to enjoy the field during after school hours.

"I want to know what we can do at this point to ensure that any dugouts put in at Woodbrook are the open wooden ones -- NOT CINDERBLOCK," wrote Woodbrook resident Mary Hobson in a comment on this blog. Mary's comment reflects the frustrations of many Woodbrook residents. "We do not need to make Woodbrook into a major (Little) league status field if residents have concerns," wrote Michael O'Grady. In referring to graffiti, J.O. Perkins wrote, "Cinderblock is inviting." And to school official's suggestion that neighbors should feel free to call the police to report crime on the field Audrey Kocher wrote, "Advice to call the cops avoids the issue. The issue is crime prevention."

And as for the need to shade young tee ball players one anonymous visitor to this blog wrote, "All the talk of needing shade amuses me; try a track meet! They go on for hours and the kids have to find what little shade they can." No kid I know would give up an afternoon of outdoor fun for lack of shade.

It's perhaps no wonder then that in a recent straw poll of 49 Woodbrook residents, of those with a preference, 72% wanted a simpler, lighter design for the dugouts, or no dugouts at all.

You might conclude from all of this that Woodbrook residents just don't like change. Not so. But well thought out change benefits everyone, not just for those asking for it.

So, Foundation, how about this? Forget the dugouts. Instead, create a setting that complements the beauty and serenity of this small neighborhood without distracting from it. Create a place where children can play ball during the day and where Woodbrook residents can enjoy a quiet evening. Lose the architect and hire a great landscaper. Plant beautiful trees that hide all that fencing without creating a place for vandals to hide. Install benches, instead of dugouts, so we can sit and admire the sunset or watch our kids enjoy the field. Work with us to create a place that you and Woodbrook residents can proudly share.

Foundation Meets with Woodbrook Residents

2010-04-24T12:34:00.004-04:00

Carson Raymond Foundation officials met with Woodbrook residents Wednesday evening to discuss recent revisions to their plans for Woodbrook field. Approximately a dozen residents attended the meeting held in the Woodbrook Elementary School library. John Raymond and Darren Lynch represented the Foundation. Woodbrook Elementary principal Dr. William Sterrett represented the school. President Susan Reed represented the Woodbrook Neighborhood Association. I represented this blog.

The meeting opened with the presentation by Darren Lynch of a 3D rendering of the proposed field complete with dugouts and bleachers. Following Mr. Lynch's presentation, questions were taken from Woodbrook residents.

A dugout design as proposed by the Carson Raymond Foundation. Note that this 3D rendering appears compressed in length. The actual dugout, if stood on end, would be about the height of a two story building (20 feet). Foundation officials believe this design is safe because it can be locked.

When asked how key access would be managed, Dr. Sterrett said, "There's a schedule that's worked out through Parks and Recreation and they work through our Building Services." He continued, "I don't anticipate random coaches each having a copy of key".

Woodbrook resident Audrey Kocher was concerned that the new design allows easy scaling of the back of the structure to reach the roof.

WCA President Susan Reed introduced this open design which is preferred by some Woodbrook residents. No size information is available for this structure. Residents believe this dugout is safer because of its open design.

When asked who will use the field, Carson Raymond President John Raymond said that the field would be primarily used for tee ball. He did add, however, that he did not know if Northside, the Little League organization, had plans to play their games at Woodbrook.

Woodbrook resident Audrey Kocher perhaps best summed up the frustrations of many residents. "In the twelve or thirteen years I've been here there have been assaults on our neighborhood and I think you are getting the brunt of it. One, the development to the north of us where a lovely woods was torn down and will become commercialized -- to the south where we have the Arden Place and the issues there -- I thought we lived in a neighborhood family area but we have drug busts behind Kohrs -- and now I think some of us, at least me, see assaults on the neighborhood from internally, and that's the expansion of the school, making it a community place." She continued, "I think that is, to me, an intrusion into this neighborhood."

School officials were sympathetic. "The last thing we want to do is as a Foundation, and certainly as a principal, is to rile up the neighbors," said Dr. Sterrett.

Some residents were concerned that the sight line from Brookmere will reveal a "pretty massive structure". "I mean all you see when you look there now is all the screening. It's not pretty," said one resident.

WCA President Susan Reed said that several neighbors like the idea of benches because they could be used for more than just tee ball.

Reed then introduced a photo of a dugout of a simpler and more open design (see photo above). She went on to explain that a dugout of this design would not need to be locked up and would offer complete visibility at all times. "If you look at Pen Park, those dugouts are kept locked up, but that lock as been broken," said Reed.

Using a tape measure to show 3 feet 6 inches, I suggested that a back wall of this height was still high enough to hide criminal activity. President Reed then gave several examples of recent crime in the neighborhood. "It's not that we are just thinking it might happen," said Reed, "we know this stuff goes on."

"I'd like to show you what 20 feet looks like", I said as I extended a tape rule out to 20 feet. Someone in the group let out a low whistle. "Now to me, that's a big structure for any neighborhood," I said.

When asked why the structure had to be closed, one Foundation official said, "I think when the foundation talked about designing something that the kids would enjoy that would also provide containment for the age group we are talking about."

Woodbrook resident Beth Gould asked if use of the baseball field would interfere with soccer. According to foundation officials, the two sports cannot use the field at the same time. Gould then went on to ask "How does this co-ordinate with Central Little League or Northside league because it's pretty elaborate for a practice field to have these huge dugouts." Foundation officials reiterated that at present there is no demand from either Little League organization to use the field.

Referring to the open style proposed by neighbors, resident Sue Brown asked, "Is this style a style that we can compromise on?". Tim Moran answered, "Speaking as a tee ball parent, that isn't going to contain the kids, that is a very big concern in tee ball." Beth Gould added, "If your kids can hide behind a wall, and their parents can't see what they're doing, they're going to misbehave."

Some Woodbrook residents argued that their neighborhood isn't like most others. "If this wasn't a neighborhood school that was surrounded by homes, that [the dugout] would be fine, but Woodbrook is just a different beast, because it's the only county school that's completely ringed," said WCA President Susan Reed.

With regard to design approvals, Dr. Sterrett said, "it simply goes through Building Services -- the amendment process." Approval by the County not required according to Dr. Sterrett. Referring to the open design Dr. Sterrett went on to say, "I am a little weary of not having some way -- I'm envisioning my kindergartner and 60 others who I think would have difficulty - as much as I like this [open design] -- staying in the shaded area".

Woodbrook resident Travis Brown asked if the dugouts needed to be 20 feet in length. "There's no magic number there, I think that number is totally up for consideration," said Sterrett.

With regard to the bleachers, Dr. Sterrett said, "What we are trying to avoid is a tall, unsightly bleacher structure that would be nine or ten feet tall, but instead have something that is more two or three tiered as you can see in the picture." "You could have up to 20 to 24 [people on a bleacher]" He added, "It's also protected by a fence for foul balls."

From the 3D rendering it appeared that spectators might not be able to see home plate from the bleachers. Officials admitted that no one has yet worked out the site lines from the bleachers to home plate or from the dugouts to the field.

One resident suggested lowering the 3 1/2 foot wall. Foundation officials agreed to consider the idea of lowering the wall from 42 inches to 36. Ms. Kocher pointed out that reducing the structure also reduces the need for screening as vandals will no longer be able to hide in the structure.

Referring back to the open design Dr. Sterrett said, "I want to say that it's going to be real easy in a strictly open one like this to bring a six-pack -- hypothetically -- sit down there right there, with nobody around, and just leave your empty six-pack there. What we like about [the block structure] is the fact that it can be locked. It will be locked."

There ensued a lengthy discussion about the safety of the two designs from a crime point of view. Some Woodbrook residents felt that openness was the best deterrent while Foundation officials felt that a closed, locked design would work better. Residents and Foundation officials were unable to come to a consensus on this issue.

Susan Reed asked who would be responsible for keeping the bushes behind the dugout in check. Officials assured residents the selected shrubs grow to a maximum height of three feet.

"Who would get the call if that [the dugout] gets graffiti?" asked President Reed. "The school, just like if a shed got spray painted," answered Dr. Sterrett.

Reed continued, "Is your theory -- If you build it they will come. The reason I am asking this is because as we've said Central Little League and Northside are already set up for that [field use] -- I'm still just trying to figure out is this just basically a practice field or are you anticipating [other uses]?" Foundation officials replied that they hope that one-day league games will be played on the field but for now it's a practice-only field.

I asked Dr. Sterrett if his successor, who takes over the role of principal July 1st, will have the same passion for keeping this field clean, cared for and locked. "It's the principal and custodian's role to maintain the premises, in other words, if graffiti is reported it's in our job description to handle that," replied Principal Sterrett.

One resident asked who is responsible for picking up trash after a game. "Whoever sanctions the use of the building or the property is required to maintain it," said Dr. Sterrett. In other words, to use school property you must first agree to clean up after yourself.

I asked if there were techniques the architects could use to make the structure look lighter, not so much like a bunker, to which president Reed added, "you think of cinder block as being like a prison ward". Residents generally agreed that earth tones would be more appropriate for dugout colors. A Foundation official said, "we can definitely do that without any problem."

In a subsequent email message to this blog, Dr. Sterrett wrote that no further construction would take place before communicating with the neighborhood via WCA President Susan Reed.

Full audio from the meeting is here.

Foundation to Present Revised Field Plans Wednesday

2010-04-19T14:17:00.007-04:00

In response to neighborhood concerns, the Carson Raymond Foundation will present new plans for Woodbrook field on Wednesday.

Carson Raymond Foundation officials will present a new plan Wednesday for Woodbrook Field. The plan includes a new design for the proposed dugouts.

In a telephone interview Friday, Foundation president John Raymond said, "After meeting with the community and hearing their concerns we decided not to do the storage structure so the dugouts themselves will be smaller and won't take much space, and we've opened up the back of it so you can see clearly through the dugout."

A plan provided by the Foundation gives the size of new dugouts as 20 feet wide by 8 feet deep with a height of approximately 8 feet. An opening at the back and sides of the design begins at 3 feet 6 inches above the ground. The field will contain two dugouts of the new design.

"It will be [cinder] block – the block wall is a couple feet high, then it has a little bit in the back with chain link so you can see through it." said Raymond during the interview. As before, the dugouts will be closed off so that people cannot gain access to them.

A portion of the plans for the new dugout design as provided by the Carson Raymond Foundation Friday. An opening in the back of the dugout 3 1/2 feet above the floor has been added to increase visibility in order to reduce use of the structure for criminal activity. The new design is approximately 20 feet in width and about 8 feet deep and 8 feet high. Provisions for a storage unit have been dropped.

"The thing that we kept that was important to us was having a roof of some sort so the kids – if there was rain – they could be underneath," said Raymond. "We completely altered the design to take in to account the concerns of the community," he said.

A dugout similar in shape and size to the proposed. In the Foundation's design the back of the dugout will be open above 3 feet 6 inches. The Foundation believes the design is unique to the area. This photo was taken at Pen Park in January.

The Foundation's plan to landscape the site is still a part of the new design. "The thing that will be most apparent about the landscaping design will be the nine Redbud trees planted around the outside ringing the field and that will be kind of the signature of the field," said Raymond.

The meeting will take place in the Woodbrook Elementary School library this Wednesday April 21, 2010 beginning at 7:30 p.m. All interested Woodbrook residents are encouraged to attend.

Previous articles on this subject:
Woodbrook Field Development On Hold
Residents Discuss New Ball Field Before Tuesday Meeting
Woodbrook Meeting Cancelled
Foundation to Address Neighborhood Concerns Tuesday
Woodbrook Elementary to Hold Grounds Meeting Tuesday

Supervisors Rescind November Decision

2010-04-18T10:45:00.002-04:00

Supervisors unanimously voted Wednesday to remove the connection from Arden Place to the Woodbrook Lagoon as shown here in red.

To the relief of many Woodbrook residents, Albemarle County Supervisors rescinded their November decision to extend the Arden Place path as far as the Woodbrook Lagoon. In a unanimous decision Wednesday, Supervisors decided to nix the path to Woodbrook while keeping the Arden Place portion of the path at 8 feet in width. Supervisors also approved the construction of a fence at the Carmike connection point to block all pedestrian traffic from entering Woodbrook via the lagoon.

About a dozen Woodbrook residents attended the meeting. In addressing the Board Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed said "Calling it a lagoon does not take away from the fact that really it is a steep wooded area that used to be the cess pool of our neighborhood." Reed concluded her comments by saying "Woodbrook would like to be able to quote another StarTrek character and say of this plan 'He's dead Jim'". "Please kill this plan and put it back the way the planning commission had it."

Previous WCA president John Gallagher summed up the feelings of many Woodbrook residents by saying "The Woodbrook neighborhood worked closely with the planning commission and the developer. We came to a mutually agreeable solution. It doesn't get better than that."

Woodbrook resident Gerry Petencin said "The idea that somehow a waste water control project then became a park, and then that park became the justification for a bigger trail than anybody anticipated – I think a lot of us just got uncomfortable with that entire process."

For those of you who missed Wednesday's meeting, here is the complete audio:

Listen: Supervisor's opening comments (6m)
Listen: Woodbrook residents address the Board (17m)
Listen: Supervisor's consideration of the matter (11m)
Listen: Vote (2m)

Thanks go out to everyone who attended the meeting, especially those who addressed the Board on behalf the neighborhood.

County Supervisors to Review Arden Place Path Decision Wednesday

2010-04-10T09:39:00.010-04:00

"You've heard of the bridge to nowhere, this is the sidewalk to nowhere." That's how Woodbrook Community Association president Susan Reed concluded last week's tour of the proposed connection of Arden Place to the Woodbrook Lagoon. The tour, recorded on video, was conducted at the request of this blog.

Woodbrook residents may recall that in September 2009 the Albemarle Planning Commission rejected extending the Arden Place path as far as the Lagoon. In a unanimous decision, the commission narrowed the path from 8 feet to 5, terminating it at the Carmike Theatre. In a surprise decision last November, county supervisors returned the path to a width of 8 feet and extended it to the Woodbrook Lagoon.

"There's so much trash it's clear that people come down here quite a lot to party. I can only envision a sidewalk making that much easier," said President Reed as she stood on the very spot where supervisors decided the path should end. "Looking at the steep grade of things I cannot imagine families walking through here with strollers and bicycles," said Reed. "I also can't envision children walking to school by themselves through here," she said. Last June, Richmond based Dumbarton Properties, the owners of Albemarle Square, made it clear how they felt about the path by formally requesting Arden Place developers construct a fence between their two properties.

Shown in red, a connecting path to the Woodbrook Lagoon was rejected by the Albemarle County Planning Commission last September then re-instated by County Supervisors in November. Woodbrook residents hope to convince Supervisors to re-instate the Planning Commission's September decision Wednesday.

President Reed then guided us through the lagoon and on to Woodbrook. "This area used to be the cesspool for the Woodbrook neighborhood," said Reed referring to the untreated sewage that was dumped into the Lagoon in the 1970s.

"We already know that people use this as a cut through area for crime," said Reed. Following a recent robbery at the Fashion Square mall a portion of the stolen property was subsequently found in Woodbrook.

Reed went on to explain that the original plan to end the path at the Carmike Cinema connection makes sense. "You can go to the movies, you can go to the little shopping center that's around the Carmike – there's somewhere to go," she said.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will meet this Wednesday April 14th to review their decision to widen and extend the path to the Lagoon. All Woodbrook residents are encouraged to attend. Interested residents will have up to three minutes to address the board with their concerns should they wish to do so. The meeting will take place in Lane Auditorium in the County building on McIntyre Road beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Winter Storm Brings Out Local Deer

2010-02-08T12:21:00.002-05:00

Woodbrook resident Susan Barnard snapped this photo through her back window Saturday.

Last weekend's 15 inch snowfall was not just a problem for local residents. Our deer population must now work harder to find the food they need to survive. Woodbrook resident Susan Barnard snapped this photo of two deer in her back yard Saturday.

Susan's photo captures two of the three deer that approached within inches of her back door. "It's going after my bird feeder," said Barnard who called us while observing the deer through her back window.

Do you have a deer story to share? If so, please comment below.

Raccoon Invades Neighbor's Chimney

2010-01-29T14:31:00.008-05:00

A Rescue Squad member carries sheets for lowering into an Eastbrook Dr. chimney this morning.

In what must have been an effort to escape today's cold weather, a raccoon lodged itself in an Eastbrook Drive chimney last evening. "I heard a scratching noise coming from the fireplace," reported the neighbor. Albemarle County Fire and Rescue was called to the scene at approximately 8:00 a.m. today.

The neighbor first called called Animal Services who in turn redirected the problem to the rescue squad. "I've never seen a raccoon in a chimney before," said one squad member. As one might expect, birds and squirrels are the most popular chimney guests.

After repeated attempts to rescue the raccoon using an animal hook were unsuccessful, a rescue squad member lowered several bed sheets knotted together into the chimney. By noon the raccoon had used the sheets to escape.

Woodbrook residents concerned about animals taking up residence in their chimneys can prevent the problem by installing a chimney cap.

Woodbrook Field Development On Hold

2010-01-18T12:31:00.004-05:00

The Carson Raymond Foundation was launched in October of last year. Construction on Woodbrook Field began in November.

School and Carson Raymond Foundation officials agreed to continue the moratorium on further construction on the school's baseball field until neighborhood concerns have been resolved. That's the main outcome of a meeting held last Tuesday evening in the school library. Approximately 25 Woodbrook residents turned out for the meeting.

While some neighbors supported the development, many Woodbrook residents have continuing concerns.

Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas said that the development requires approval by Albemarle County Community Development, a division of the county's planning department. According to a source at the meeting the development has yet to be approved by county and school board officials.

It's at the discretion of county planners to approve the project administratively or recommend that the County Planning Commission hold public hearings on the project.

We interviewed WCA president Susan Reed following the meeting. "They pledged that they were not going to steam roll this," said Ms. Reed referring to a comment made by school officials.

There was some disagreement at the meeting regarding the new backstop. School officials say that the new construction is a replacement for the existing deteriorating backstop and is therefore exempt from the approval process. Some neighbors believe that the new backstop is significantly larger than the old one and as such should be considered as new development.

The construction of the dugouts remain as the main point of contention. There was some discussion about abandoning the concrete block construction in favor of a smaller more open design.

Some neighbors expressed frustration at the lack of details available on the project.

The issue of who will finally be responsible for maintaining the field has caused much concern with some Woodbrook residents. County school board official Jeff Rohm said that like any structure on school property, the county building and grounds department is responsible for ongoing maintenance.

School and Foundation officials agreed to meet with WCA directors to discuss project details before development on the field resumes. No date was set for the meeting.

Residents Discuss New Ball Field Before Tuesday Meeting

2010-01-10T11:07:00.016-05:00

Field construction completed last week. In December residents were assured that there would be no further construction on the field until all outstanding issues were resolved.

In preparation for this Tuesday's meeting with developers and school officials, a panel of four Woodbrook residents met Saturday to discuss issues surrounding the development of a new ball field at Woodbrook Elementary School.

The new field is being developed by the Carson Raymond Foundation in memory of Carson Raymond, a student at the school who passed away in October.

The panel consisted of Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed, Woodbrook residents Jim and Morgan Perkins and Woodbrook Community Association treasurer Mary Hobson. Collectively, the panel members have lived in the Woodbrook neighborhood for over 50 years.

Panelists talked about a wide range of concerns from traffic to vandalism. Many are concerned that the scope of the project will over power the neighborhood.

A public meeting on the field will be held in the Woodbrook Elementary School library this Tuesday, January 12th at 7:30 p.m. All concerned Woodbrook residents are encouraged to attend.

Listen to the panel's comments:

Listen: Introduction to Panel Members (1m)
Listen: T-Ball vs Little League (7m)
Listen: Traffic and Parking (7m)
Listen: Noise Issues (4m)
Listen: Ambient Light (1m)
Listen: Who Will Maintain The Field? (11m)
Listen: Affect on Property Values (6m)
Listen: Visual Impact of the New Structures (4m)
Listen: Affect on Crime (4m)
Listen: Is a Public Hearing Needed? (5m)
Listen: Panel's Concluding Remarks (3m)
Listen: Thank you (1m)

On the left, a dugout at Pen Park similar to that proposed for Woodbrook field. On the right, damage caused by vandals while attempting to gain access to locked facilities, also at Pen Park.

Our previous interview with Carson Raymond Foundation president John Raymond is here.

Board to Review Arden Place Path

2010-01-06T13:39:00.005-05:00

In response to a passionate and eloquent presentation by Woodbrook Community Association president Susan Reed, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors today agreed to review their November 5th decision to widen and extend the Arden Place path to the Woodbrook Lagoon. Supervisors agreed to reconsider their decision at a future public meeting.

Listen: President Reed's presentation to the Board of Supervisors. (12m)

"The Woodbrook community is very upset with the Board of Supervisor's November decision to overturn the Planning Commission's unanimous recommendation," said Reed in her presentation to the Board. She continued, "Planners unanimously agreed that a walkway should only be five feet wide and should end behind Carmike theater." Reed went on to describe the astonishment of the Woodbrook neighborhood when Supervisors revised the Planning Commission decision during the November meeting. Reed's presentation to the Board of Supervisors follows a letter writing campaign by Woodbrook residents held in November and December 2009. "It was abundantly clear from some of the comments from the Board of Supervisors, that some of the supervisors were not at all familiar with the area that was being discussed," said Reed. Reed then pointed out that termination of the Arden Place path at the Lagoon made no sense. "Just what makes you think droves of people, at the same time, are going to be walking to a swamp," Reed added. "Frankly, this is what makes people mistrust the government -- a small group of people who will never have to deal with the consequences -- purport to know better than the residents of the affected area, and even worse than that, the body that you set up to work through the issues and make recommendations to you," said Reed referring the the Board.

In concluding Reed said, "I respectfully request that the Board of Supervisors reverse the decision made in November and put back the Planning Commission's recommendation for the five foot wide walk to not go into the Lagoon, or at the very least have more public meetings and public comments".

Following Ms. Reed's presentation, Rio District Supervisor Rodney Thomas said, "I support bringing it back to the Board and discussing this matter." Mr. Thomas went on to remind the Board that the developer requires a decision by March 1st in order to avoid a dramatic increase in his water hookup costs.

The discussion closed with Board of Supervisor's Chairman Ann Mallek suggesting that the Board could hold a public meeting to review the matter as early as February.

Winter Storm Unites Neighborhood

2009-12-22T15:49:00.004-05:00

The fourth biggest storm since recording began found Woodbrook residents pitching in to help each other with the cleanup. "I like how the snow seemed to bring everyone a little closer," wrote one resident in an email message to this blog. Another resident, Kathy Welch, wrote "Five of our neighbors just appeared spontaneously to help us free up our car so we could go pick up our son at the train station Monday evening." Kathy's photo of neighbors-helping-neighbors appears at the top of our slide show.

The storm began in the late afternoon on Friday December 18th and virtually paralyzed the neighborhood until Sunday. Some neighborhood streets went unplowed until as late as Monday. We even snapped a photo of a County snow plow stuck in the snow at the corner of Eastwood and Brentwood.

Our thanks go out to Woodbrook residents Gerry, Jenny, Jonna, Josie, Kathy, Maureen, Rose Mary and William who answered our call for photos. You can view their images in the slide show above.

Woodbrook's Christmas Lights 2009

2009-12-17T15:07:00.004-05:00

Many of the good folks here in Woodbrook go to a lot of trouble to adorn their homes with lights during this holiday season. Here are a few of them that we captured last night.

Our apologies to those of you with great Christmas light displays that we missed this year. We hope to make our Christmas light tour an annual event.

Woodbrook Meeting Cancelled

2009-12-08T16:39:00.001-05:00

We received the following message at 3:16 PM this afternoon from Woodbrook Elementary School principal Dr. William Sterrett:

"Due to an inclement weather forecast, tonight’s evening PTO Meeting and Grounds Meeting are both canceled; we will be discussing the agenda items at our next meeting.

Thus, we will have our next PTO Meeting at 6:30pm on Tuesday, January 12th. This will be followed by a Grounds Meeting at 7:30pm."

Regular readers of our blog will recall that the Carson Raymond Foundation was scheduled to address Woodbrook resident's concerns regarding construction of a new baseball diamond on school property at the meeting.

Woodbrook Community Association Co-Secretary Allison O'Grady reports that there will be no further construction on the field until after the January meeting.

Foundation to Address Neighborhood Concerns Tuesday

2009-12-06T11:22:00.002-05:00

Members of the Carson Raymond Foundation, along with school officials, will address Woodbrook resident's concerns arising from its plans to develop the school's baseball field at a public meeting Tuesday. The Foundation has, in the view of some Woodbrook residents, big plans for Woodbrook Field. We spoke with John Raymond, the foundation's president, by telephone Friday about its plans for the field.

Listen to our interview with Foundation President Raymond (13m)

Construction on the field began on November 20th. "The first part of the plan is to tear down the existing back stop which we did two weeks ago. It was old and not really useful for a Little League field," said Raymond during the interview. Raymond hopes to have the construction completed by spring 2010.

Some residents have expressed concern that, once completed, the new field will be used for a variety of sports other than t-ball. "The only other sport that it really would be designed for is Little League baseball," said Raymond. With regard to game-day traffic Raymond said, "I don't imagine there would be any more traffic than there is currently for soccer games," he said. "There's typically about 10 – 12 kids on a team, so your talking, when a game is being played, maybe 20 – 40 cars coming into the neighborhood." John went on to say that currently there is sufficient parking in the school's three lots and circle to handle game parking. "I can't imagine there would be any need to park on the street for people coming to the games," he said.

Nor will there be the need for a public address system on the field. "It's going to be a relatively simple field," he said.

Responsibility for field maintenance has yet to be determined. However, Mr. Raymond doesn't see this as a problem. "The members of the foundation have a vested interest in making sure this field is a fitting tribute… that is what we set out for it to be, a beautiful place for kids to go play," he said. "We have plenty of volunteers who have already signed up saying whatever you need as far a field maintenance goes, I'm happy to do it."

Much concern has been raised by residents over the installation of the two 8' x 20' dugouts, and in particular who will keep them locked, clean and free of graffiti. "If [the field] is used by the Little League, they would be responsible for maintaining the structure, and, if they determine not to use [the field] the foundation will be responsible for maintaining the structure," John said.

In addressing concerns about the scale of the project Mr. Raymond said, "I think that [residents] maybe overestimating the project. It's going to be a relatively simple field." "There is going to be a lot of landscaping done to ensure that the view from [resident's homes] is actually improved as opposed to diminished -- I think you will find that it will actually be a plus for the neighborhood, an asset."

Several residents have raised concerns over the potential use of the dugouts for drug trafficking or other criminal behavior. John doesn't see this as being an outcome of the project. "The only time the dugouts will be [unlocked] is when teams are playing on the field for practices or games," he said.

In closing John said, "I do understand the concerns [of the community], certainly anything new in the neighborhood – you want to make sure it's done right." Raymond added, "I honestly believe that this field, once it's built, will be a tremendous asset for Woodbrook and will be a source of pride for the community, and I'm honored to be able to put it there."

The meeting will take place in the Woodbrook Elementary School library at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday December 8, 2009. All Woodbrook residents are encouraged to attend. You can learn more about the foundation's plans for Woodbrook field here.

WCA Launches Letter Campaign

2009-11-13T12:23:00.007-05:00

WCA President
Susan Reed

In an e-mail message to this blog earlier this week, Woodbrook Community Association President Susan Reed kicked off a new campaign to protest the recent decision by Albemarle County Supervisors to widen and extend the Arden Place Trail. "Here we go again," wrote Reed. Regular readers of this blog may recall the Board's controversial reversal of the Planning Commission's decision to install a five-foot path that would terminate at a proposed connection with the Carmike Theatre.

"I recommend that people start writing and emailing their opposition to this to the Board of Supervisors," wrote Reed. "As we know an eight foot sidewalk could be driven on."

Reed also questioned the logic of continuing the path through to the Woodbrook Lagoon Project. "I still don't know why they find it necessary to put a sidewalk through to an enclosed neighborhood; it's not as if we're a shopping center," wrote President Reed. There is [also] the issue of it going through a swampy area," she wrote.

Reed is asking all concerned Woodbrook residents to document their concerns in a letter addressed to the Board of Supervisors. "Please write a regular letter and get it to one of the [Woodbrook Association] officers," she wrote. Residents are also encouraged to contact the Board directly if they wish, "but we need to have [the] letters (or at least a print out of the e-mail) so that we know how many people wrote," suggested Reed. Letters and copies of letters can also be delivered directly to Reed via her newspaper box.

Reed suggested that it's more important that residents write rather than concern themselves with the format. "Type or handwrite the letter," she wrote.

Reed encouraged residents to "write to express opposition to sidewalk and why and/or concerns with the process." Reed wants to know why concerns expressed by over 100 residents at two public Planning Commission meetings were so easily dismissed by the Board of Supervisors at their closed meeting. "It's my understanding that there are very few times when the BOS overturns the PC recommendations and we'd like to know why," she added. Supervisor-elect Rodney Thomas has agreed to present the letters to the Board of Supervisors at an up coming meeting.

Woodbrook residents can call Ms. Reed during the evening at 973-0766 with questions.

Supervisor-Elect Rodney Thomas on Board Reversal

2009-11-12T15:33:00.004-05:00

Rodney Thomas

On Thursday November 5, 2009, Supervisor-Elect Rodney Thomas graciously agreed to talk with this blog about the the Board of Supervisors' unexpected reversal of the Albemarle Planning Commission's recommendations for the Arden Place path.

According to Mr. Thomas, it was Supervisor Sally Thomas who initiated the reversal. "Sally started it off, then Ann jumped in too," said Thomas referring to Supervisor Ann Mallek. He went on to add that the requested change did not come from County planning staff. "Sally Thomas [made the] recommendation to take it down to the lagoon," said Thomas.

Over 100 Woodbrook residents participated in various aspects of this project from delivering flyers to attending the meet-the-developer meeting, and speaking at two Planning Commission meetings. "I know how you all teamed together, you did everything you needed to do to tell them what you did not want and what you wanted, and they still went the other way," he said.

I asked Mr. Thomas if the Board could have sent the matter back to the Planning Commission for review and additional public comment if they were unhappy with the plan. "Oh, I think so too. That's a good point," he said.

When asked where Woodbrook residents might go from here, Thomas suggested that they could write "some disappointing letters to the Board for changing this thing all around like they did." Mr. Thomas went on to say that he would be happy to present Woodbrook's messages to the Board at an upcoming meeting. "I'd be glad to handle it and go to the next board meeting and present your message to the Board," he said.

Woodbrook Elementary to Hold Grounds Meeting Tuesday

2009-11-08T08:54:00.001-05:00

Woodbrook Elementary School Principal Dr. William Sterrett will hold a grounds meeting following Tuesday's PTO meeting at the school. Woodbrook Residents are invited to join Dr. Sterrett Tuesday, November 10, 2009 in the library at 7:30 p.m. (this follows the school PTO meeting) to discuss the improvements being planned for the baseball diamond through the Carson Raymond Foundation (see www.carsonraymondfoundation.com for more details).

Tentative plans / discussion items to improve the existing field will include:

regrading and re-grassing field
buying new bases
adding bench or dug-out for seating
adding bleachers
adding small storage shed
bringing in new sod/dirt for better infield
replacing fencing/ backstop with newer backstop

For more information, interested residents can contact the school at (434) 973-6600.

Supervisors Reverse APC Path Recommendation

2009-11-05T06:54:00.004-05:00

In a surprising move, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors yesterday reversed County Planning Commission recommendations for a path between Arden Place and the Woodbrook Lagoon Project. In a 5-1 vote the Board of Supervisors decided to widen the path from 5' to 8' and to extend the path beyond the proposed Carmike connection to ultimately connect with the lagoon project.

Listen: Listen to the Board of Supervisor discussion and vote (49m)

County Planner Bill Fritz, Applicant Representative Valerie Long and Rio District Supervisor David Slutzky made eloquent and forceful arguments encouraging board members to respect the wishes of Woodbrook Residents as expressed at not one, but two public County Planning Commission hearings. Their arguments fell on largely deaf ears. Yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting was closed to public comment.

We have thus far been unable contact Rio District Supervisor David Slutzky or Supervisor-Elect Rodney Thomas for comment. You can view our earlier story on the Planning Commission's recommendations here.

First Halloween Parade a Huge Success

2009-11-01T07:58:00.003-05:00

By all accounts, Woodbrook's first ever Halloween Parade was a huge success. Organized by Woodbrook Community Association Co-Secretaries Allison O'Grady and Cristiane França, the event was held at the Woodbrook Elementary School playground and track during the late afternoon on Halloween day. (E-mail subscribers please click here to see photos of the event.)

Some of Woodbrook's youngest residents proudly marched in the parade on the newly constructed school track. Following the parade, the costumed children participated in several organized games including a ping-pong ball race and balloon sweep. A sack race was held for the adults in the crowd.

The event closed with some very tasty treats provided by O'Grady and França.

WCA To Hold Halloween Parade Saturday

2009-10-25T08:55:00.000-04:00

The Woodbrook Community Association will be holding a Halloween parade at the Woodbrook Elementary School track on Saturday October 31, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact WCA Co-Secretary Allison O'Grady at the number above.

Places29: Planning Commission to Hear Public Comment Tuesday

2009-10-24T13:01:00.008-04:00

On Tuesday October 27, 2009, the Albemarle County Planning Commission will hold a public meeting to hear comment on the Places29 Draft Master Plan. The Plan covers the four Development Areas north of the City of Charlottesville: Neighborhood 1, Neighborhood 2, the Community of Hollymead, and the Community of Piney Mountain. When adopted, the Master Plan will be a component of the Land Use section of the County's Comprehensive Plan. The draft plan, including the Vision and Guiding Principles, has been developed with extensive citizen input, starting in 2005 with a series of public workshops and open houses. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the County Office Building with an open house from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. prior.

To obtain a better understanding of how the plan will affect Woodbrook residents; we spoke with Judy Wiegand, a Senior Planner for Albemarle County. Ms. Wiegand's primary job responsibility is to coordinate the Places29 Master Plan.

Listen: Listen to our interview with planner Wiegand. (18m)

"Basically Places29 is a vision plan," said Ms Wiegand in a telephone interview with this blog recorded on October 22, 2009. It's expected to take decades before the plan is fully implemented. "Parts of the master plan, like the recommended transportation network, which is also shown in the plan, are based on a 20-year population estimate," said Wiegand.

The plan has not yet been adopted and is currently under review by the Planning Commission. "We hope the Commission will be ready to make a recommendation on the plan, to the board of supervisors, by the end of this year," Wiegand said.

When asked about specific elements of the Plan that might affect Woodbrook residents Wiegand said, "There are plans, in the Master Plan, to extend turn lanes that are on US 29 that feed into Woodbrook". On the issue of neighborhood connectivity she added, "The Places29 Master Plan doesn't have any specific direction about connectivity in the Woodbrook neighborhood," then added, "We don't have any [neighborhood] connections that are proposed"

The Plan does include requirements that will affect the way Woodbrook residents travel to and from the neighborhood. "It's going to provide some alternate routes, so that once Woodbrook residents come out of - get out on to 29 - they would have some alternate routes to get to different parts of the area," said Wiegand.

When asked about the Tuesday Albemarle County Planning Commission meeting Wiegand said, "[Woodbrook residents] will be able to speak to the Commission directly - and give their opinions - to ask questions - and we would really like to have them do it because we want to know what they think about the plan." "We do definitely encourage people to come, we would very much like to have them there." There will also be an open house prior to the meeting where maps and copies of the plans will be available for viewing. County staff will be present to answer questions about the plan.

The Albemarle County Web site has an impressive, if not overwhelming, collection of documents for the plan. "I would recommend, if people go on to the Web site, that they look at chapter four, which is the meat of the plan, it's the future land use and transportation chapter, and then they can also look at chapter eight which talks about implementation," said Ms. Wiegand. (Click here to visit the Places29 page on the site.) Wiegand went on to offer this invitation to all County residents, "I would be happy if people want to call with questions or if they want to e-mail me with questions - I can also direct them to particular parts of the plan where they can find answers to more specific questions." You can e-mail Ms. Wiegand at .

But don't expect a quick fix to the County's traffic problems. "One of the problems we have right now is funding, because there simply isn't any funding for transportation projects," said Wiegand. But once funding becomes available Wiegand sees a bright future for Woodbrook commuters. "What Woodbrook residents will see as they drive out of their neighborhood is they will start seeing that certain places where they were used to getting stuck in traffic - they won't," she said.

Wanted: One Blue Vintage Replacement Bathroom Tile

2009-10-18T09:33:00.002-04:00

If you know the whereabouts of a single circa 1960s vintage, light blue bathroom tile, like those used during the contruction of the Woodbrook subdivision, we would like to hear from you.

The tile measures 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" and was originally installed in 1967.

If you have any information which could lead to the location of this tile, please contact us by e-mail at the address shown in the lower left corner of this page. E-mail subscribers can simply reply to this message.

Rio District Forum Video

2009-10-15T13:20:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, October 1, 2009, the Free Enterprise Forum and Charlottesville Tomorrow co-hosted a candidate forum for the Rio district candidates for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. The forum was held at Hollymead Elementary School. For those of you that were unable to attend, here is video of that forum. (Email subscribers please click here to access the video).

Rio District Candidates Forum from Charlottesville Tomorrow on Vimeo.

Our thanks go out to our good friends at Charlottesville Tomorrow for allowing us to share this video with you here.

Local Candidate Interviews: David Slutzky

2009-10-11T08:45:00.024-04:00

Candidate Slutzky

(Facebook Photo)

The Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog is pleased to bring you exclusive interviews with both Rio District candidates. In this, the second of a two part series, we speak with incumbent Democrat David Slutzky. Mr. Slutzky's opponent is Republican Rodney Thomas.

Listen to our interview with candidate Slutzky

I asked Mr Slutzky about traffic levels at the Woodbrook lights, vacating the County right-of-way to Arden Place, restoring the Woodbrook neighborhood sign and his take on how the Places 29 master plan might affect Woodbrook residents. I spoke with Mr. Slutzky via telephone from his home on October 8, 2009.

In part one of this series we interviewed Republican candidate Rodney Thomas.

Local Candidate Interviews: Rodney Thomas

2009-10-10T08:44:00.018-04:00

Candidate Thomas

(Facebook Photo)

The Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog is pleased to bring you exclusive interviews with both Rio District candidates. In this, the first of a two part series, we speak with Republican Rodney Thomas. Mr. Thomas's opponent is incumbent Democrat David Slutzky.

Listen to our interview with candidate Thomas

I asked Mr Thomas about traffic levels at the Woodbrook lights, vacating the County right-of-way to Arden Place, restoring the Woodbrook neighborhood sign and his take on how the Places 29 master plan might affect Woodbrook residents. I spoke with Mr. Thomas via telephone from his office on September 29, 2009.

In part two of this series we interview incumbent Democratic candidate David Slutzky. Look for it right here tomorrow.

Rio Candidate Forum Thursday

2009-09-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

The Free Enterprise Forum and Charlottesville Tomorrow will co-host a candidate forum for the Rio district candidates for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors this Thursday, October 1, 2009, 7 – 9pm at Hollymead Elementary School.

We won't be attending this one. If you do, please share your thoughts by posting your comments below.

VDOT Route 29 Corridor Blueprint Citizen Meeting

2009-09-26T21:08:00.007-04:00

Citizens are invited to attend and provide input on the preliminary recommendations for the Route 29 Corridor Blueprint – A Vision for the Future. The Route 29 Corridor Blueprint recommendations will include the identification of achievable short, intermediate and long-range improvements which will improve safety and enhance mobility within the 29 Corridor from the North Carolina state line to Gainesville, Virginia. The Blueprint will also include policy recommendations to ensure the continued viability of Route 29 as a major multi-modal transportation corridor in the commonwealth.

The Charlottesville meeting will be held this Tuesday, September 29, 2009 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at:

Virginia Department of Forestry

900 Natural Resources Drive

Charlottesville, VA 22903

If you are unable to attend but still wish to participate in the study, you can complete the Route 29 Corridor Study Questionnaire by clicking here.

For more information visit the VDOT web site.

Neighbors Meet With Woodbrook Elementary School Principal

2009-09-26T10:55:00.001-04:00

Local residents met with Woodbrook Elementary School principal Dr. William Sterrett Tuesday to discuss issues relating to the new track and its connection to the existing trail system.

"The track has now entrances into the park, it's "hello" come to my back yard," said Woodbrook resident Audrey Kocher whose concern for increased criminal activity in her back yard was reported earlier by this blog. By school policy, use of the trail after dark is not permitted. "Our school grounds may be used by the community except for when it's dark or during school hours. Any time that there is a violation of that, that is what it is, a violation, and should be reported to authorities," said principal Sterrett. When asked directly if they believed that the track would increase local property crime, residents agreed that there was no conclusive evidence to support this theory.

Dr. Sterrett went on to suggest that the school hold an annual grounds meeting with local residents. "You bring, as a resident, a perspective that I may not have as principal," he said.

According to Sterrett, UVA's Day of Caring project will clear “dead stuff” including brush piles from around the track area. The idea of additional lighting around the track was briefly considered but then rejected as it might actually increase after-hours grounds use and be hard to monitor. Dr. Sterrett also suggested the possibility of posting a sign next to the trail area similar to that on the front grounds. He went on to say that he would request that Albemarle County Police provide additional evening patrols.

Following the meeting Dr. Sterrett took attendees on a tour of the Woodbrook Learning Garden, track and trail area.

Dr. Sterrett reported that approximately 50 children from the Woodbrook neighborhood attend the school, 35 or so of those arriving on foot.

Woodbrook Residents Elect New WCA Officers

2009-09-21T08:21:00.003-04:00

At their annual picnic held yesterday, Woodbrook residents elected four new members and returned one other to the board of the Woodbrook Community Association.

The new WCA board of directors. From left to right: Susan Reed (President), John Donnadio (Vice-President), Cristiane França (Co-Secretary), Allison O'Grady (Co-Secretary), Mary Hobson (Treasurer). Only John Donnadio returns from the previous board.

The election was held in the Woodbrook Elementary School cafeteria. The event included a short presentation by Woodbrook Elementary School Principal Dr. William Sterrett on the new school track, a visit from nine volunteers from the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department complete with two fire trucks, several short presentations by local politicians and a moon bounce for the kids.

Woodbrook residents enjoyed a picnic lunch at the event.

Approximately 60 Woodbrook residents enjoyed the potluck luncheon that included fried chicken. Residents also took advantage of the time to renew friendships with their neighbors.

School To Host Public Meeting Tuesday

2009-09-20T13:10:00.009-04:00

Woodbrook Elementary School Principal Dr. William Sterrett will host a public meeting Tuesday September 22, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. to hear neighbors' comments on the new cinder track installed at the school this past summer. The track includes several connections to an existing trail system that runs behind the back yards of several Woodbrook residents.

New cinder track winds its way around the school's baseball diamond and soccer fields. Several Woodbrook families have been seen enjoying the track during the evening hours and on weekends.

Our regular readers may recall our August report on the new track. The track was made possible in great part thanks to the generosity of Dr. Sterrett whose Milken Foundation award provided some of the funds to build it.

Listen: Listen to our August interview with Dr. Sterrett (32m)

"We were very fortunate that Dave Mathews band through the Bama Works Grant Initiative added on to our award," said Sterrett, during the August interview at his school office. The track, made of stone dust, is about a fifth of a mile long and cost about $8,500 from Sterrett’s money. The remaining $4,000 was covered by the Dave Mathews band.

When asked during our August interview if the school was willing to share the track and trails with the Woodbrook Neighborhood Sterrett said, "We absolutely want the community to enjoy these [facilities]." Dr. Sterrett went on to say that community may use the track and trails following the same rules that have always applied to the using the school grounds -- after school hours and before dark.

Since our interview in August, this blog has received several positive comments regarding the track. "Our house is also adjacent to the Woodbrook School property, and we are delighted with the addition of the track. It will make walking to school a much less soggy experience on dewy mornings and allows for easier bike riding and other strolling activities," wrote Woodbrook residents Tina and Allen Goode in a comment posted on this blog. "We noticed an immediate increase of people walking around the grounds and using the track very appropriately. No one has tried to access the path to our house nor have we seen any inappropriate behavior," added the Goodes. "As Woodbrook parents and neighbors we applaud the efforts being made to beautify and utilize the grounds which are central to our community," they wrote.

Another Woodbrook resident, whose name we were unable to obtain permission to use said, "This track is a wonderful thing for our neighbors, young and old." They went on to say, "However, whenever I take my children there in the evenings I always find that some people allow their dogs to do their business on the track and they do not clean up it. This evening alone I removed four such piles."

Ginnie Daugherty, another Woodbrook resident, says that her family uses the track one to two times a week. In an e-mail message to this blog, Ginnie wrote, "I think it's a fantastic addition to the school and the neighborhood. Children and adults need a safe, soft, level place to jog and walk. Plus, it gives parents an exercise option when their children are practicing (soccer, baseball, football) or playing at the school." "It's great to have a soft and level track so nearby."

Not everyone, however, is in favor of the development. "I worry that the track and nature trail will disturb my peace and enjoyment of my property," said Audrey Kocher in an August telephone interview with this blog. Ms. Kocher, whose property abuts the trail, said that she installed motion sensor lights and other security devices because of increased trespassing in her yard over the last several years. She feels that increased traffic on the track and trail will increase trespassing. "In the past I've had to call the police three and four times a week because there are people up there on the school ground in cars after 10 p.m.," said Kocher.

When asked about neighborhood concerns about increased crime Sterrett said during our August interview, "I spoke with a school board member about the possibility of adding a security camera" and reminded me that county police frequently park in the school parking lot while preparing their reports. "I encourage community members who see suspicious activities [on the school grounds] to contact the authorities," he said.

The Tuesday meeting will be held in the school library.

WCA to Elect New Officers Sunday

2009-09-18T12:40:00.003-04:00

According to a flyer distributed throughout the neighborhood earlier this week, the Woodbrook Community Association will hold a picnic and election of officers on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in the Woodbrook Elementary School cafeteria. This will be the first WCA election of officers in five years.

Local elected officials and their opponents have been invited.

The Woodbrook Community Association is providing fried chicken, baked pasta and drinks. Neighbors are invited to bring a dish to share (an entree or dessert). Lunch is planned for 2:30 pm to 3:30 p.m. with the main agenda beginning at approximately 3:30 p.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m.

Woodbrook Elementary School Principal Dr. William Sterrett will speak about the new cinder track around the school's field. There will also be a neighborhood meeting to discuss how you want your community association run and to elect new officers.

Repeated attempts by The Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog to obtain information from the WCA regarding the election including a list of the current officers, candidates and association by-laws were unsuccessful.

Neighbors are reminded that association dues are $10 per household and can be brought to the picnic.

Snake Sighting in Lagoon Area

2009-09-18T09:04:00.000-04:00

An Eastern Cottonmouth or Northern Copperhead snake was spotted in the area designated as the future site of the Woodbrook Lagoon Project. "I saw a snake today at the stream at the foot of Idlewood Dr. that resembled these," wrote Woodbrook resident Lee Freudberg in an e-mail message to The Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog earlier this week. "If I had to choose which it was, I'd say the Eastern Cottonmouth, but I can't be sure, as the sighting was fleeting and the snake had made its way halfway or better into an opening at the stream bank (it's nest?) before I saw it, as I had apparently surprised it and fortunately it sought cover instead of my ankle," added Freudberg.

Copper Head (Internet Photo)

Woodbrook residents may recall that this is the original site where County planners proposed a paved path and/or road from Arden Place, and near where Freudberg and others had argued that this area, proposed as the second suggested terminus of the path, posed a danger to unsupervised children. "My argument was based merely on the configuration of the biofilter in and of itself more or less as a "swamp," and as an attractive nuisance that would draw young children where they could get hurt or covered in contaminants," wrote Freudberg. He continued, "The presence of venomous snakes (where there's one, there are more) adds to the unsuitability of the area as a "park."

Eastern Cottonmouth (Internet Photo)

Freudberg admits that he is not an expert on snakes. "I am not an expert on snakes, far from it," he wrote. "I am merely basing my conclusion based on the similarity (which was striking) of what I saw to the images I located online."

Charlottesville Tomorrow Reports on September 8th APC Meeting

2009-09-15T12:55:00.001-04:00

The good folks over at Charlottesville Tomorrow have recently posted their account of the September 8th Albemarle County Planning Commission meeting.

"During the public comment period, sixteen residents from Woodbrook spoke out against the footpath proposal, expressing frustration that the developers had not removed the path from the project entirely." wrote staff writer Connie Chang in the September 11th article. She continued, "When one resident asked his fellow neighbors whether they believed that a 10-foot wide asphalt trail was still a roadway, many raised their hands in agreement."

You can read the entire Charlottesville Tomorrow story by clicking here, or review their earlier Arden Place story here.

New Local Dog Park: Fun For All

2009-09-13T05:59:00.009-04:00

Woodbrook dog owners might be thrilled to learn that there is a new Dog Park in town at Chris Greene Lake Park. Not only is it close by, but it is in a beautiful setting on the lake, with lots of trees, benches and picnic tables.

We visited there this weekend. Our dog had fun, and so did we! We found the dogs to be quite friendly, and enjoyed meeting their owners. You may want to check it out this time of year as there is no charge from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Bring your kids, bring your dogs, you will have a good time.

The Dog Park is located near the main parking lot for the beach area. As you enter the top part of the parking lot, there is a Dog Park sign on your right. Enter there and take the short walking trail that leads to a one-acre fenced-in area.

Once you go through the gate, dogs may be unleashed and allowed to frolic freely, or swim in the lake. Disposable bags are provided to clean up after your pet. The park is open daily from 7:00am to dark.

Please feel free to share your experiences at Chris Green Lake Dog Park by commenting below.

Planning Commission Meeting Audio

2009-09-11T11:46:00.010-04:00

For those of you that missed Tuesday's meeting, here is the complete audio of the September 8, 2009 Planning Commission hearing on Arden Place and its connection to Woodbrook.

Listen: Introduction - Eric Strucko, Chairman
Listen: Staff Report and Discussion - Gerald Gatobu, Principal Planner
Listen: The Applicant - Valerie Long
Listen: Public Comment - Woodbrook Residents
Listen: Discussion - The Commission
Listen: Vote - The Commission

A special thanks to everyone who attended the meeting, and especially to those who spoke directly to the Commission.

The matter has been tentatively set to come before the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors on November 4th. We will keep you advised.

Planning Commission Rejects Footpath to Woodbrook Lagoon

2009-09-09T08:33:00.010-04:00

In a unanimous decision last evening, Albemarle Planning Commission members voted against the inclusion of a footpath connecting the proposed Arden Place development and the Woodbrook Lagoon Project.

Site plan showing proposed trail system. The Commission rejected the connection to the Woodbrook Lagoon Project as shown in red. The parking lot to the left is a part of the Carmike Cinema. Woodbrook is in the upper right of this plan.

The Commission also unanimously approved the applicant's revised preliminary site plan with the following amendments,

"…subject to the conditions listed in the staff report with amendment of condition "F" to reflect the discussions we've had tonight to eliminate the applicant building the path from what we are calling the potential Carmike entrance to the Lagoon Project and to include the dedicational land between those two points."

"…amend condition "G" which is going to change the trail type from a class "A" type "2" to a class "A" type "1", and that there be a new condition which is no access directly to Rio [Road] if access to Carmike is provided."

"…a condition that says path will not extend north of Carmike pedestrian connection."

"…with design alignment of a class "A" type "2" [trail]"

A class "A" type "1" trail is a five foot wide trail.

We will have more on this story later this week including complete audio of the meeting.

Planning Commission Meeting Tomorrow

2009-09-07T08:16:00.013-04:00

Woodbrook residents are reminded that the Albemarle County Planning Commission will meet tomorrow evening, September 8, 2009, to hear arguments for-and-against the revised Arden Place site plan. At issue is the inclusion of a footpath connection between Arden Place and the Woodbrook Lagoon Project. If you haven't already done so, listen to our interview with County planners Fritz and Gatobu to learn more about the County's position on the proposed footpath.

It's important to note that this is not the same proposal that was put before the Commission on June 23rd. The current proposal recommends at footpath (not a roadway) which connects with the Woodbrook Lagoon Project and not with Woodbrook directly.

As before, Woodbrook residents will each have three minutes to express their views on matters before the commission. This is expected to be the last time residents will have an opportunity to give their opinion on the development. You can also express your opinion here by either taking our poll in the left-hand margin of this page or by adding your comments below.

Today, Labor Day, signals the unofficial end of summer for many folks. We sincerely hope your summer was filled with all the things that are important to you. We also hope you will stay with us throughout the fall. We are working on several stories that we think you will find interesting.

To stay current on all issues of interest to Woodbrook residents we invite you to subscribe to this blog. Click here to learn more about e-mail subscriptions.

County Releases Staff Report on Revised Arden Place Plan

2009-09-03T09:16:00.012-04:00

As expected, yesterday the County released its staff report on the revised Arden Place site plan. As we reported on Tuesday, the plan includes the County's proposal for the establishment of a footpath connection between the Arden Place development and the Woodbrook Lagoon Project. You can read the full staff report here, or just the pages regarding the footpath connection here.

The Albemarle Planning Commission will hear arguments for and against the plan on Tuesday September 8. 2009 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in Lane Auditorium at the County building on McIntire Road. The meeting agenda is here.

Listen: Listen to our interview with County Planners Fritz and Gatobu (15m)

(Click to enlarge photo)

This is expected to be Woodbrook's last opportunity to be heard publicly on this plan.

Are you in favor of the proposed footpath? Take our quick poll in the left hand margin of this page.

To stay current on all issues of interest to Woodbrook residents we invite you to subscribe to this blog. Click here to learn more about e-mail subscriptions.

Proposed Footpath Connects with Woodbrook Lagoon Project

2009-09-01T07:38:00.005-04:00

County planners have reconsidered plans to provide a direct footpath connection between the proposed Arden Place development and Woodbrook. In the new proposal the footpath would instead connect with the Woodbrook Lagoon Project, which in turn would connect with Woodbrook. "What we are recommending now is that the Arden Place development connect to that public project, the Woodbrook Lagoon project," said Bill Fritz, Chief of Current Development for the County, during an interview last Friday.

"In our opinion if connection to Woodbrook is ever made through the Lagoon project, that would afford the residents of Woodbrook the opportunity to access the commercial and other activities that occur to the south of them," said Fritz referring to destinations such as Northside Library, Carmike Cinema and ACAC.

Listen: Hear our complete interview with County planners Fritz and Gatobu. (15m)

While many Woodbrook residents continue to oppose any southern connection, Fritz believes that this may not be a fair representation of neighborhood opinion. "The trail system connection to Woodbrook currently does exist, there are well defined trails that exist within Arden Place which is an indication that while people didn't come speak at the planning commission meeting that they were in favor of the trail - they are speaking with their feet, if you will, by [the] trails being there, " said Fritz. "There is obviously a demand for some form of connection," he added. "Further, it's our opinion that if a formal trail system is not established, that an informal trail system will create itself. It's our opinion that an established, defined trail, is a better and safer trail," said Fritz.

With regard to the proposed road connection, "the developer has revised the plan to show no connection to the Woodbrook subdivision," said Gerald Gatobu, the Principal Planner for the County responsible for the Arden Place development. "[the developers] have met the two public standard road that was required." "The second point of access is now at Rio and not going through Woodbrook as was shown before." Gatobu said.

Gatobu then went on to describe the footpath the County is considering, "it will be a ten foot wide paved [trail] and will be maintained -- we are still working out the details of the maintenance -- either with the applicant or with the County," he said.

When asked about the format of the September 8th planning commission meeting Gatobu said, "it's up to the planning commission chair, but I believe people will be given the exact same three minutes to express themselves -- for or against -- and in this case we encourage, and always do encourage, the public's participation." September 8th will be the last opportunity for Woodbrook residents to express their opinions on the development.

We will have more information on the September 8th planning commission meeting as it becomes available. To stay current on all issues of interest to Woodbrook residents we invite you to subscribe to this blog. Click here to learn more about e-mail subscriptions.

Subscribing by E-mail

2009-08-31T13:05:00.007-04:00

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To sign up click "Subscribe Now" in our left-hand margin then follow the provided instructions.

Send Us Your Track Stories

2009-08-13T12:50:00.002-04:00

We are working on a follow up story to our recent posting about the new track at Woodbrook Elementary School. For this story, we would like feature first hand accounts from Woodbrook residents on how they are enjoying the track and/or nature trails.

If you have a track story you would like to share, please e-mail it to us at the address in the lower left hand margin of this page. Please be sure to tell us if you wish to remain anonymous.

Submissions must be received no later than Thursday August 20, 2009.

Yard Sale Saturday August 15th

2009-08-13T12:46:00.000-04:00

Our neighbors at 2924 Idlewood Drive will be holding a yard sale on Saturday August 15th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine. Use the interactive map below for directions.

View Larger Map

Neighbor Reports Theft From Vehicle

2009-08-06T07:37:00.002-04:00

We have received word of two theft-from-vehicle incidents on the evening of Tuesday, August 4th, one on Idlewood Drive the other on Brentwood Road. According to the Woodbrook resident that e-mailed us, both cars were unlocked and in the driveway. "Someone went through my car last night, through the glove compartment and storage area between the seats," reported the resident who has asked to remain anonymous. They went on to say, "Nothing was stolen (nothing there worth stealing) and my car was parked in my driveway unlocked."

Albemarle County Police are reporting five other theft-from-vehicle incidents in Woodbrook during the last six months.

While we can't advise you on crime prevention, it does seem sensible to keep your vehicles locked at all times.

Woodbrook Elementary Shares Track with Neighborhood

2009-08-04T15:30:00.022-04:00

Woodbrook Elementary School has a new track thanks in great part to Principal Dr. William Sterrett whose Milken Foundation award provided some of the funds to build it. We talked to Dr. Sterrett Monday about the track and its relationship to the Woodbrook Neighborhood.

Listen: Listen to the full interview with Dr. Sterrett (32m)

"We were very fortunate that Dave Mathews band through the Bama Works Grant Initiative added on to our award," said Sterrett, during the Monday interview at his school office. The track, made of stone dust, is about a fifth of a mile long and cost about $8,500 from Sterrett’s money. The remaining $4,000 was covered by the Dave Mathews band.

But contrary to the report carried by the Daily Progress, only the track is new. "I think when the Daily Progress article came out that we were not clear about the fact that the track is something that we built - that doesn't extend through the woods," said Sterrett. "We have not removed a branch or a twig."

And indeed he hasn't. Following our interview in his office, Dr. Sterrett took me on a tour of the track and trails. While the paths are very well established in spots, the trail still looks completely natural.

When asked if the school was willing to share the track and trails with the Woodbrook Neighborhood Sterrett said, "We absolutely want the community to enjoy these [facilities]." Dr. Sterrett went on to say that community may use the track and trails following the same rules that have always applied to the using the school grounds -- after school hours and before dark.

While several members of the Woodbrook Community have been seen enjoying the new track, not everyone is in favor of the development. "I worry that the track and nature trail will disturb my peace and enjoyment of my property," said Audrey Kocher in a telephone interview last week. Ms. Kocher, whose property abuts the trail, said that she installed motion sensor lights and other security devices because of increased trespassing in her yard over the last several years. She feels that increased traffic on the track and trail will increase trespassing. "In the past I've had to call the police three and four times a week because there are people up there on the school ground in cars after 10 p.m.," said Kocher. Ms. Kocher also told us that she frequently cleans up the loose brush and trash on the trail. "There have been two fires in the woods on the school property near my house in the last twelve years," she said. Firemen at the scene indicated that the underbrush is a fire hazard.

When asked about neighborhood concerns about increased crime Sterrett said, "I spoke with a school board member about the possibility of adding a security camera" and reminded me that county police frequently park in the school parking lot while preparing their reports. "I encourage community members who see suspicious activities [on the school grounds] to contact the authorities," he said.

"We didn't have any sort of public forum for the track idea," said Sterrett when asked if the Woodbrook Community has been involved in the project. When questioned if he would consider a future public meeting to address concerns like Audrey's, Sterrett said "I'd like to encourage [a meeting with the community] particularly if we get into looking at [greater] use of our nature trails." Sterrett would like to invite all Woodbrook Residents to attend a Woodbrook Grounds meeting on Tuesday evening, September 22nd at 6:30pm in the Woodbrook Library to discuss ideas, concerns, and future planning for this and other potential projects.

[Please note that if you are reading this via our e-mail feed it may be necessary for you to view this story on our blog for the audio of our intereview with Dr. Sterrett to play properly on your computer. Simply click the title of the article in your e-mail to be taken to the site.]

Principal Planner Recommends 10' Path to Woodbrook

2009-07-28T14:11:00.004-04:00

In a memorandum posted last week on the County web site, Elaine Echols, Principal Planner for Development Areas, writes (in part):

"At this time we can recommend connection to the Carmike cinemas or Albemarle Square, or the r.o.w. going into Woodbrook, or any combination of these three access points. Although the Planning Commission did not want a road or sidewalk leading from Arden Place to the Woodbrook Subdivision, a reservation for potential future access would be good in the event we (the County) ever want/need to make that connection. Planning believes that area will always be a short cut."

The memorandum also recommends a trail of "Type 2" which is a 10' wide trail.

You can read the full text of Ms. Echols memorandum here.

County Chief of Current Development Recommends Path

2009-07-27T14:10:00.003-04:00

In a July 22, 2009 memorandum to County Principal Planner Gerald Gatobu, Chief of Current Development Bill Fritz said that his department will "request that the Planning Commission reconsider Pedestrian/Bike Access to Woodbrook. The construction of the access would be consistent with the Neighborhood Model for development and the 2008 Citizen Survey".

You can read the full text of Mr. Fritz's memo here.

And Now for Some Fun...

2009-07-26T12:55:00.001-04:00

We would like to take a moment to thank the many good people of Woodbrook who took the time to write, call or stop by last week with their kind words of support for our efforts in maintaining this blog. We were overwhelmed by your response.

We plan to continue to bring you fair and balanced reporting of all issues of interest to Woodbrook residents.

But now, let's have some fun! We are starting a regular feature of this blog to get to know our "furry" neighbors a little bit better. Please send us your story about how your pet enjoys living in Woodbrook. Include a photo if you wish.

Send your story and pet photo to the e-mail address shown in the lower left corner of this page.

Thanks!

Planning Commission Sets September 8th Hearing Date

2009-07-22T13:04:00.004-04:00

The Albemarle County Planning Commission will hear arguments regarding the revised Arden Place plan at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday September 8, 2009.

We'll provide more details as they become available.

Webmasters Get "Pink Slip"

2009-07-20T08:34:00.013-04:00

We have just learned via a neighbor that a pink flyer circulated by the Woodbrook Community Association (WCA) last week has dismissed us as your association Web masters. Here's our take on what happened.

Although plans affecting Woodbrook were being made as early as February of this year, it wasn't until about 10 days before the Planning Commission hearing in June that we first learned of it. That same day we contacted the WCA and offered our professional Web development skills to assist in mobilizing a neighborhood response.

The WCA's own database of e-mail addresses and telephone numbers was in sad shape. With only a dozen or so good e-mail addresses on file it was not equipped to mobilize the neighborhood quickly if needed. We took immediate action.

During the next 24 hours we established this Web site along with a WCA authorized flyer requesting your e-mail address and telephone number. On a hot June day, we personally delivered all 202 flyers, our shoes sticking to the hot tar that had just been laid down on our streets.

We were successful. On June 23rd over a hundred concerned Woodbrook citizens showed up at the Planning Commission Hearing. Almost thirty of you spoke. As a courtesy to those of you that couldn't attend, we arranged to capture the meeting audio. It's posted here.

As June passed into July we continued to collect e-mail addresses so that we would be ready to mobilize again if need be. We kept your information in a secure database on our server and provided the WCA with a special, private Web page that they could use at any time to contact you. This sensible approach ensured that the most current e-mail list would always be available to the WCA while at once keeping our commitment to you to maintain the privacy of the information you had provided. We also provided the WCA president with with full, uncensored, authoring privileges on this blog.

It was our understanding that it was our responsibility to manage this database of information. Then, for reasons unknown to us, the out-going WCA president unexpectedly demanded that we surrender your personal information immediately. We wondered why the sudden change and became increasingly uncomfortable with sharing your information, not knowing if it would continue to be protected as we had promised. Then, in the midst of discussions to resolve this issue, the WCA abruptly cut off all communication with us.

Should you trust the WCA with your e-mail address? I did. In return for that trust the WCA posted my personal e-mail correspondence with the WCA president on their Web site -- including my e-mail address -- all without my permission. Based on this action we are now convinced that not sharing your private information with the WCA was the right thing to do.

There are amicable ways this dispute could have been settled. But the path to resolution is negotiation, not name-calling. Considering where my last e-mail ended up, I'm sure you'll understand why we are not keen to write the WCA again.

Beth and I want you to know that this was a very difficult decision for us. We had nothing to lose by turning your personal data over to the WCA and we would have been spared a lot of grief if we had. We agonized over this problem for days. We hope that you will agree with and support our decision.

At the June 23rd meeting, and in subsequent e-mails, many of you have taken the time to thank us for our efforts for which we are very appreciative. Buoyed by your many kind words of appreciation, we are planning to continue with this Web site. Once the Arden Place development is over we have plans to make this site a fun place for all Woodbrookians to gather and share stories in this amazing community. And, we plan to keep a watchful eye on the WCA itself to make sure it always operates in your best interest.

The WCA flyer contains too many unfounded accusations to address here. We will, however, be happy to address any specific questions you may have regarding it. Please post your questions in the comment section below. Out of respect for the privacy of all concerned, we're asking you not to use the names of specific individuals in your comments.

I'd like to close with this note to the WCA: Dismissing us as your Webmasters via a public notice is hardly the most tactful way this could have been handled. As holders of a public office we expect more from you. If you wanted us to step down as association Web masters, all you had to do was ask.

Arden Place Revised Site Plan Shows No Woodbrook Connection

2009-07-17T13:11:00.015-04:00

We have just learned that a revised site plan for the Arden Place development has been filed with the Albemarle County Planning office. The revised plan shows no connection to Woodbrook.

We contacted Andy McGinty, the developer, for comment. Here's what Mr. McGinty had to say regarding the revised plan:

"There is no connection of any kind to Woodbrook (pedestrian, vehicular, emergency or otherwise). I am still proposing a public trail that will connect the county land to Rio road. I’ve also added a new road that connects to Rio for a second public street connection.

I’m waiting on comments from the county and once those are available I’d be happy to meet with the neighborhood again. Hopefully this version of the plan is more appealing to everyone. Please let me know if there are any major areas of concern in the meantime."

You can view the revised site plan here. If you have comments or concerns you would like us to pass on the the developer, please post them below. We will post the date of the next County Planning Commission meeting on this project as soon as it becomes available.

Thanks go to County Principal Planner Gerald Gatobu for this update.

Places 29 Work Session Tuesday

2009-07-09T13:28:00.005-04:00

The Albemarle Planning Commission will be holding a work session on Tuesday July 14, 2009 to discuss Chapter 8 of the Places 29 master plan. The meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. in Lane Auditorium at the County Office Building on McIntire road. From the meeting agenda:

The Planning Commission will review the revised Chapter 8, Implementation of the draft Places29 Master Plan, as a follow-up to their discussions of the chapter on March 31, 2009 and April 14, 2009. Staff will present the three parts of the Chapter: the text, the List of Implementation Projects, and Appendix 2, Implementation Project Descriptions. (Judy Wiegand)

The complete meeting agenda including several downloadable PDF documents can be found here.

Planning Commission Meeting - Full Audio

2009-07-02T15:30:00.010-04:00

For those of you that missed it, here is the full audio for the June 23, 2009 Planning Commission Meeting held in Lane Auditorium at the Albemarle County Building on McIntire Road in Charlottesville.

Listen: Chairman's Opening Comments (2m)
Listen: Principal Planner Gerald Gatobu Introduces the Project (12m)
Listen: Commission Comments and Questions (34m)
Listen: Applicant's Presentation (29m)
Listen: Comments from the Public (1h6m) (See note below)
Listen: Commission Comments and Action (1h2m)

Note: Public comments broken down by speaker are posted here.

Woodbrook Speaks Up at Commission Meeting

2009-06-27T13:01:00.027-04:00

At the County Planning Commission Meeting, held June 23, 2009, twenty-eight residents of the Woodbrook Subdivision stood before the commissioners to give their views on the proposed roadway/footpath between Woodbrook and the Arden Place development.

Their eloquent and heartfelt words captured the true essence of what it means to live in the community of Woodbrook.

You can listen to each person speak by clicking their names below, or choose a starting place and let the player automatically move to each speaker.

Listen: Introduction

The Hook News Blog on Arden Place

2009-06-26T12:00:00.005-04:00

There's a lively discussion taking place on The Hook News Blog about Woodbrook and the Arden Place development. Click here to view it.

Thanks to Woodbrook resident Gerald Petencin for passing this on to us.

Dumbarton Provides Humor at Hearing

2009-06-26T10:53:00.006-04:00

At the June 23rd hearing, Dumbarton Properties Inc., the folks who own Albemarle Square inadvertently provided the audience with a humorous moment. In a letter addressed to County Principal Planner Gerald Gatobu, they asked the County to require that Arden Place developers build a fence, between their two properties. Gerald introduced the letter just as Arden Place Attorney Valerie Long was about to speak on their plans to put a road through Albemarle Square.

Gerald was kind enough to provide us with a copy of that letter (below). It doesn't sound like Dumbarton is super keen about working with Arden Place.

New Feature: Arden Place Watch

2009-06-26T06:00:00.002-04:00

Regular visitors to our blog may have noticed a new feature in the left hand column. Titled "Arden Place Watch", this space automatically updates each time "Arden Place" is mentioned on the Internet.

Each time you visit this site, take a quick glance to the left. There could be something worth there worth noting.

The Daily Progress Reports on Hearing

2009-06-25T14:19:00.008-04:00

Here is the Daily Progress report on Tuesday's Planning Commission hearing.

CBS19 News Reports on Commission Decision

2009-06-24T07:24:00.006-04:00

CBS Channel 19 reported on the Commission's decision on the road and path on the 11:00 o'clock news last night. Here's their story.

Planning Commission Defers

2009-06-23T23:29:00.003-04:00

After 3 1/2 hours of discussion the Albemarle County Planning Commission deferred on it's decision on Arden Place, primarily because the preliminary site plan was unacceptable to the Commission. The Commission decided that they really wanted two access points but ruled out Woodbrook as being an option. The Commission went on to say that they don't want the foot path to Woodbrook either.

Over thirty Woodbrook residents spoke, each adding a different perspective to the issue. The speeches were at once eloquent and moving. Great work everyone!

Will have more details about the meeting shortly. We also hope to be able to bring you the audio from the meeting for those who were unable to attend.

Bring a Neighbor Tonight

2009-06-23T06:23:00.001-04:00

As we approach our meeting tonight with the County Planning Commission, there are still many folks in Woodbrook who have yet to register with us. Chances are one or more of them are your neighbors.

We asking everyone to bring a neighbor with you to tonight's meeting. The more people that show up, the more the County will take us seriously.

We hope to see you there.

County Staff Report Available Now

2009-06-22T13:08:00.010-04:00

The Albemarle County Planning Staff Report on the Arden Place development is available now in PDF form. Click here to open or download it.

A associated document from Deputy County Attorney, Greg Kamptner, is available here.

Update: Here is the actual request for waiver to build a pedestrian path instead of a road. In particular note the first paragraph on page 2. See the comments below for details.

Meet The Developer: Meeting Audio

2009-06-20T14:52:00.022-04:00

Here is an audio recording of this morning's meeting with Arden Place developer Andy McGinty. A lively discussion follows Andy's short introduction.

Listen: Meeting Audio

While you may find this recording long at 1h37m, there much valuable information. It's a must-hear if you plan to attend on the 23rd. There are many tips and ideas on how we should approach the meeting.

This audio was recorded under less than ideal conditions. The quality of the audio improves about five minutes into the recording as the audience settles down. You may be able to improve the quality of the audio by adjusting the treble and bass controls on your PC speakers.

Posting Comments Using Firefox

2009-06-20T13:49:00.004-04:00

If you are having problems posting comments using the Firefox browser, please follow the instructions below. (These instructions are not necessary for Internet Explorer users.)

1. Go to Tools/Options in Firefox. Click on the Privacy tab.

2. You will see a dialog box like the screenshot below (STEP 1). Click on Exceptions.

3. You will see a dialog box like the screenshot above (STEP 2). Type blogger.com in the Address Field. Click Enable (button on far right). Click Close at the bottom.

4. Click OK to close the first dialog box.

5. Start posting your comments!

Which Brookmere and Idlewood?

2009-06-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

It looks like we've left some room for confusion as Brookmere and Idlewood intersect in two places.

The proposed development is to be located at the southern intersection of Brookmere and Idlewood, the intersection closest to Rio Road and as indicated by the "A" on this map:

Our apologies for any confusion this has created.

What Woodbrook is Saying

2009-06-19T19:25:00.006-04:00

Here are the comments that have been collected so far from our sign-up form. We have removed comments which contain information that could identify its author.

We encourage all of you to add your comments at the bottom of this posting.

I hope we have a good showing at the meeting on the 23rd. The appeal of this neighborhood is that it is a dead end configuration. We are conveniently to things, but we are not a cut-thru to other places. Also, we have little crime here, but what we do have, frequently has come from the apts behind us. We don't want to be an easier target with street access.

Please keep me informed.I am planning on going to the meeting on June 23rd.

I believe that building this road into Woodbrook would be a disaster for the community. It would destroy the character of this community and our isolation from the urban sprawl all around us.

I will be at the meeting with flying colors. We can't let this happen.

Has any one from county been in the neighborhood to see how much traffic is on Brookmere Road currently? If this goes through how much more will the traffic increase?

I'll be there on the 23rd. Thank you for all the great work.

I was thinking of going door to door urging people to go to this. Is the information on the agenda available on line now?

We will be away on june 23 and so won't be able to attend the meeting but please keep us informed. thank you for your efforts.

We'll be there

I oppose this project. I plan to write to my supervisor about it and attend meeting next week.

Only my husband can attend the meeting. What can I do now? Who should I contact in the county to voice my concerns?

I'm glad to hear we have a Woodbrook community association. I would like to work with you and see if we could make our association more visible to our community. I will definitely be at the meeting on June 23. Can you tell me how many houses (property owners) there are in Woodbrook?

I see no beneficial purpose at all in having a road come into the neighborhood that will just add traffic to a 1 way in, 1 way out place. Since the county lists the Woodbrook and Rt. 29 intersection as one of the more dangerous ones (they wanted a red light camera there), WHY would they choose to add more traffic??!! Also, they can't even properly pave our road (Ah, the stupidity of paving and then tearing up to put pipes in!); this slurry is all they are doing and it was VERY poorly done. More traffic here? I think not!

Thanks for organizing this. I think it's crucial that we have a large amount of Woodbrook residents attend the meeting to show that we don't want the road or even more apartments. Having another road would change the one entrance in one entrance out that is so appealing to so many.

We would certainly love to hear the reasoning behind this awful plan. Who benefits from this?

Thanks for keeping us posted. We are encouraging our circle of neighbors to come to the meeting.

Do you know if the road through the Alltel Business Park is a viable alternative? It seems like we could come up with enough reasons why increased traffic should go there rather than through Woodbrook. Thanks for informing everyone. I'll be there on the 23rd.

We are very very busy, but we are disagree with this plan you have our support. we will try to make it on june 23. thanks and good luck.

THANKS for doing all this and watching out for us! At least one of us will be there on Tuesday.

Have you heard any new threats from the county on connecting Woodbrook to Carrsbrook? We have had a history in defeating this type of idea before so there are precedent established with the BOS. Perhaps this should be brought up at the meeting on the 23rd. Also, have you heard of any Planning Commission dates that Wendell Wood intends to present the
Woodbrook side of his North Town Center at?

Classic move they lower our property values to raise theirs.

Update: Apology to Woods and Clarification

2009-06-19T11:47:00.001-04:00

Early communications and flyers incorrectly stated that Lloyd Wood and Wendell Wood were involved in the project. The flyers incorrectly said Lloyd Wood was the property owner who was building the new apartments and road. We have learned that Lloyd Wood does NOT own the property where the new apartments are being proposed.

Also, we were led to believe Wendell Wood owned Albemarle Square. We have learned that the property owner is actually Dumbarten, and not Wendell. The Woodbrook Neighborhood Association would like to sincerely apologize to Lloyd Wood and Wendell Wood for the mistake.

Now, how did this mistake happen? There has been virtually no information flowing from Albemarle County to the Woodbrook Community. Charlie Trachta and I, had a meeting with County Planner, Gerald Gatobu, and discussed the apartments and learned about a proposed road into the Albemarle Square Shopping Center. Gerald mentioned there were difficulties with that connection, and brought up Lloyd's name. We mentioned Wendell's name at this meeting, because we incorrectly assumed Wendell owned Albemarle Square, and Gerald did not correct us. So due to faulty communications with Gerald, we incorrectly attributed the project to the Woods.

Further, in my discussions with the Developer, Andy McGuinty, I mentioned the Woods' involvement, due to my conversation with Gerald, and was again not corrected. Andy did finally correct me on 06/17/09. Charlie and I also asked the County to add us to their mailing list, and Planner Gerald Gatobu agreed. However, we have yet to see any correspondence from Gerald. True, he makes himself available when Charlie or I visit the County offices, and he shares information when asked, but we feel like we are having to extract the information, rather than it being readily provided. We still are not sure why he did not include us on his mailings, even after we requested that he do so.

This evening Lloyd came to my door to assure me that he had nothing to do with the proposal. I appreciated him taking the time to meet me and clarify his role. So. it was an unfortunate chain of events, faulty assumptions, and really poor communications all around, which led to the inaccurate flyers. Once more, we totally regret the mistake and apologize to the Woods. They have been important members of our community and we mean them no disrespect. We would have used the actual owners on the flyer had the County clearly communicated them to us.

But the new roadway problem still exists. Trying to set the record straight, we now believe, based on information provided by the developer, the owner of the property where the apartments are being proposed is currently owned by Charlottesville Realty Corporation. And the developer is Andy McGuinty, who works for Coleway Development of Charlottesville. Or at least that is what is printed on this document he sent me.

It is the developer, Andy McGuinty who is proposing the road or pathway into Woodbrook on behalf of the property owners. Charlottesville Realty.

Anyway, you know the rest of the story. Located in Albemarle County in central Virginia, our beautiful 40-year-old neighborhood with its quiet streets, well kept homes and beautiful mature trees have made Woodbrook a place to call home for over 200 families.

We aren't sure when, but at some point in time between January and now, the developer, Andy McGuinty, filed plans with the County to build a road which will enter Woodbrook at the intersection of Brookmere and Idlewood. The developer wants to build six apartment buildings behind Putt-Putt, off of Rio Road. The County has advised him that to meet code he needs to have another access road for these new buildings.

We believe there are other alternatives for those apartments, and that a road/pathway should never, ever be built into Woodbrook, regardless of the reasoning. Alternatives for the developer include connecting through Albemarle Square near Circuit City and terminating at Rio Rd at the existing light. Or a secondary road could flow through another section of the existing development and terminating near the Verizon phone store. Probably the best thing to do is fix the intersection at Putt Putt lane. Everyone knows that is a dangerous intersection and people have been killed crossing the road near there. The developer should work with the County and VaDOT, and add the badly needed traffic light at that intersection, along with pedestrian crossings. This latter is win-win-win. The County gets a dangerous intersections fixed, which also helps VaDOT. The property owner gets to build their apartments, and there is no new roadway disrupting the safety of a quiet neighborhood.

New news! Some of us have brought this issue to David Slutzky's attention. So far, David appears to be totally behind Woodbrook and will work with us to prevent a roadway from being built. David also mentioned that Biscuit Run has some sort of provision whereby the neighborhood of Biscuit Run will decide whether or not to open VaDOT rights-of way into their neighborhood. David suggested implementing a similar plan for Woodbrook. That way, we would not have to fight these things every five years or so. If the Woodbrook Neighborhood did not like a proposed connector to Woodbrook, we could simply say "no thanks."

If you'd like to express your opinion on the proposed roadway into Woodbrook, please come to the next meeting at the County Office Building (401 McIntire Road), on the second floor on June 23rd at 6pm and voice your concerns. Details...

Please help spread the word. Share our URL with your neighbors and express to them the importance of the meeting on the 23rd. It is important to our small Woodbrook community to make a huge stand for our neighborhood.

We encourage everyone with an interest in the proposed development to use the space below to post your comments.

June 23rd: Call for Speakers

2009-06-19T09:18:00.002-04:00

With the next Planning Commission meeting just days ahead it's time to start thinking about what each of us might say on June 23rd. Needless to say, the more people who show up and speak, the more the commission will listen.

We are the third item on the agenda. You should show up at the beginning of the meeting. Sitting through other items is a good thing because you can learn a little about how this stuff works if you're not familiar with it.

As many people should speak as possible. Each person will have just three minutes to speak so it's a good idea to divvy up the main arguments between more speakers. Keep your arguments tight and definitely keep them to three minutes. Write them down before you come.

What should you speak about? That's up to you. You should begin by introducing yourself as a resident of Woodbrook. Tell them how long you have lived in Woodbrook if you think it significant.

And lastly, we can help each other by commenting below this post. Please share what issues you plan to address. You can remain anonymous here if you wish.

Meet The Developer

2009-06-18T19:53:00.007-04:00

We have just received an invitation to meet with the Arden Place developers on Saturday, June 20 at 11:00 a.m. at the Charlottesville Community Design Center which is located the Downtown Mall on the second floor of the Market Street parking garage next to the Charlottesville City Hall.

Please read the flyer below then add your comments.

Directory Update Needed

2009-06-18T08:02:00.002-04:00

We have begun the process of updating the Woodbrook directory. For this purpose, we have created an on-line form where you can register your name, address, e-mail and telephone number.

If you haven't done so yet, please click here and complete the form today. You can help us complete the directory promptly by encouraging your neighbors to register as well.

Welcome!

2009-06-17T09:32:00.014-04:00

Welcome to the Woodbrook Neighborhood Blog!

Located in Albemarle County in central Virginia, Woodbrook is a beautiful, 40-year-old neighborhood with quiet streets, well kept homes and beautiful mature trees. Over 200 families have made Woodbrook their home.

This blog is about all things "Woodbrook"! We hope you will bookmark out site and visit us often. We also invite you to write us directly at the email address shown to the left.

John Gallagher	Charlie Trachta	Gerry Petencin	Steve Wilson
Eugene Powell	Madeline Grooms	Robert Benzing	Monica Pawinski
Anne Hobson	Dan Gould	Kathy Welch	Lee Freudberg
Susan Dell	Majid Entezam	Bill Nuckols	Michael Juers
Mike Mueller	Abby Deal	Jeff Deal	Susan Reed
Lisa Nuckols	Donna Entezam	Trisha Branch	Jo Ann Eliason
Sandra Schwaner	Lauretta Campbell	Virginia Kenny	CJ Trachta