--------- I'm going to call the Charlottesville City Council um August 4th, 2025 meeting to order. Um we have role um for um city council. Uh Brian Kingston will not be here and I
think Michael will be joining us if he's he's not here yet. Uh, I suspect Michael to be here. Is there a motion to approve or amend the agenda? >> Second. >> Okay. Second. Um, all in favor, please say yes. >> Yes.
>> Yes. And no oppositions. Um, this meeting would be divided into three sections. The first will be a joint session um with the Charlottesville city school board followed by um city council closed meeting and then uh we'll have our regular business meeting at at 6:30.
This is a joint meeting with the school board. U madame chairperson, would you like to call? >> Yes. Um go ahead and call our school board meeting our joint session to order. And staff, if you can call the role, please >> here.
here. >> Mr. >> Here, >> here. >> Here. >> Yes. Thank you. >> And we also need to approve our agenda of one item. Is there a motion to do so?
>> Some moved. >> And second. >> Second. >> All right. Miss Burns with a second. All in favor say I. >> Any opposed? >> Thank you. Um I now turn um floor over
to um city manager just >> good evening council members of the school board members of the public um to I guess this afternoon uh our planned conversation for this joint meeting is regarding school facilities buildings
specifically um this was part of a ongoing conversation that Dr. Dr. Gurley and I have been having. But in addition, I shared I believe it was the uh joint meeting prior to the prior to this one where I referenced that it was probably necessary for us to begin having some
further conversation about the long-term projections on managing school facilities. Uh so before we would go too far down that road, I thought it was important for us to figure out a way to have a joint session where we could at least just get an update as to how we
look at our school buildings today. What are the conditions of those? Uh we have team members who are responsible for managing these buildings. But ideally, we fast forward us to ensure that both bodies receive this information at the same time with as much detail as we could possibly provide for where we are
today and where we project possibly being in the next few years. So, this evening, uh, Mike Goddard and James Reese are going to be walking you through that particular, uh, analysis, and I think Miss Powell is also going to be speaking as well. And the intent for
council specifically is this is a step ahead of your uh council retreat that is coming up on the 15th and 16th. In that retreat will be prioritizing the discussion around housing, schools, and transportation. Uh pointing out to you of course that my job is always to
remind you of choices that you have to make and the discipline that comes with spending the money that we have because those resources while they keep growing are still limited. And ideally what we want to make sure of is that you're as informed as possible when making these various decisions that you have to make
in your respective roles. So I'll turn it over to the gentleman and allow them to take us through what they have prepared for us this evening. >> All right. Thank you. That's Thank you, Sam. Good evening, Mayor Wade, members of council, members of the school board. My name is James Fest. I am deputy city
manager for operations. And am I advanced in this king or are you sure I have the control? Thank you. Okay, great. We can go ahead and go to the next slide. So, as city manager Sanders mentioned,
our goal for the night is to provide y'all with a high level uh uh review of the status of our school facilities. Um to that end, we are going to after a brief introduction um talk about school enrollment capacity. Uh we're going to
do a review of each of our existing school buildings and provide an update on the middle status of the middle school. Slide please. So while generally speaking our school buildings are in good condition, they are all old.
So we when we look at our schools, we actually think of them in the set of pairs. We call them the twins. Um the first of these, the vintage era, if you will, Trailblazer and Summit, uh represent a period of time where we were using a more classical design. So think
columns and large windows. Then we have the middle era uh which were represented by sunrise and tall oaks built in 50s. These school buildings we think of them as kind of good solid school buildings. They they do the job. They are and they are in good condition. And then finally from
the 60s we have Greenbryer and Jackson Bay which are our open floor plan era of schools. Right? So these are marked by obviously the open floor plan style but also small windows. Uh generally these school uh buildings are more complex in their layout um and have a range of
other challenges associated with them. And then uh other than our brand new middle school, Charlottesville High School is our newest school building in the portfolio built for us in 1975. So um
so our review as we looked at at the school buildings considered three basic factors. First off was just straight up building condition. What is what is the condition of these buildings just as buildings alone generally as I noted they've been in we maintain these school
buildings in good condition. Uh we complete periodic assessments um and plan for their maintenance over time. The second uh issue we looked at was capacity relative to school enrollment. What does our school population look like going forward and are we looking at
capacity constraints that we are going to need to plan for? And then the final thing we looked at was really the ability of these school buildings as they exist today to meet modern education expectations. Basically, what are we looking for in a school building today and how do these school buildings
compare to those needs? Oh, one second, Ken. Almost there. Um, so in in the in on this issue of uh modernizing our schools, we've been taking kind of a quick hit approach, right, where we have about a million dollars a year uh that we dedicate
towards discrete projects that can be completed over the course of roughly one summer. One of the questions really before you tonight is whether we continue that approach or whether we look at a more holistic approach of considering school buildings as a whole, looking at the
whole building and looking at improvements, doing improvements all at once, whether that's a deep renovation, renovation plus an addition, or considering redevelopment of the overall school building. If we were to move towards that school
by school uh uh upgrades or school improvement program, our next step in this process would be to do a deeper dive into each and every school. do an assessment of what that school would need. What are those gaps between what are we looking for in a school and where that school is today? So that we can
develop school by school cost estimates and then build that into a financial and construction plan that might then stretch over a 5, 10, or even 20 year uh period of time. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and turn things over to Miss Powell, who's
going to talk to us about enrollment and capacity of the schools. Thank you, James. Good evening. I'm Kim Pal, the chief operations officer with the city schools, and we can advance to the next slide. Thank you. I know this is a bit of an
eye chart with a lot of numbers on it, but um this is what the numbers are really important for is enrollment capacity. And the key takeaways when you look at all these numbers is really there isn't like an imminent capacity issue with our schools. Um we did have a
extended period of pretty brisk growth um back around 2010 11 12 we were on an upward trae trajectory that was concerning to us and we partnered with Weld and Cooper to figure out what was causing it. And it was actually the uh high-rise UVA student housing that went
up on West Main. As college students moved into that housing, it freed up quite a bit of um f single family home stock in the city. And unexpectedly, we experienced a fairly sustained growth surge for some time. The growth we experienced during that time took a
little dip during COVID, which happened with almost every public school division across the Commonwealth. But then um after as we came out of COVID and returned to inerson learn in-person learning, our enrollment pretty much just stabilized at where it was pre pre- pandemic. And that's sort of where we're
riding right now with um a little bit of a downward trend that we can foresee because of the uh reduction in birth rates. I can tell you that um you hear if you Google what's going on with birth rates in this nation, it's it's you can see lots of charts. I thought about
bringing one into this presentation but decided not to. But if you choose to look at such things, you'll see that that declining birth rate trend is real and Charlottesville's not excluded from that. So what will make a difference for us or what we as city schools know that
we have to monitor carefully in the face of that birth rate trend is what's going on with housing developments and particularly affordable housing that would be attractive for families. That's what will change things, would change the outlook with our school capacity. Um, when it comes to school capacity,
and this is getting a little bit more into the weeds, the functional and max capacity numbers that you see there, functional capacity, um, and I'll apologize to the VMDO folks in the room if I butcher this definition, but it's it's really where you're operating in
what feels like a full school, but you have the space to react to changes. I would like to say unfortunately the kids never show up in nice little bundles of 24 to put them in the classrooms the way you need to. So sometimes you have to add a classroom for a particular grade
level or for a particular subject. And when you're operating as you're approaching functional capacity, you're starting to run out of options to to address those needs as they arise. Max capacity is getting into more of the hardcore like fire marshall type
numbers. That's a place you just don't want to be in. you're needing to typically add modular units or take some kind of action before you really get to max capacity because it becomes extremely difficult to manage your programs in the building. Um, you want
to stay at or ideally below 80% of functional capacity to have the ability to maneuver and operate a typical school without really feeling those pinch points at serious in a serious way. And so what the table shows you here is that the team, city facilities team, asked us
to look it up Rockton out to 2030. And we've been working with a consulting firm, Walpert, um, helped us with the resoning, the elementary resoning process that we undertook this past year because we recognize that within our 10 square miles, we have to be super
mindful of where the housing developments are coming because some of our schools really don't have room to expand. Um, if you're in a locality that has more green space, a lot of times just the typical first move is you drop modulars and then you figure it out,
right? We the school zone that has the most development targeted to it is the school zone where dropping modulars is absolutely not an option and there's not even really a viable option for expansion. I wish I included the word vital for a closing bullet down there
because the you'll see later in the deck that when it comes to summit, the only thing we could come up with if we had to expand capacity there would be to take the little parking square in the back of the school and build a parking structure in that square with classrooms integrated and you still wouldn't get
that many classrooms. And then what that does is the entire inside of that building, all those beautiful large interior windows are set looking at a parking garage. So I don't really feel like there's that's a prebal expansion option. Um so there's some real hard
limits at summit but um for purposes of today's conversation just know that capacity we are being proactive working with um this firm that helped with the initial resoning because now when we do enrollment projections we're bringing in
a geoloccation factor into the into it so we can really keep track of what's happening where with the developments. Um, we're in uh close conversation with CRA and with Pedmont who are the driving forces behind a lot of the development that's going to potentially have impacts
on our enrollments and um it's just something that we have to keep tabs on and it's not enough to keep tabs on it holistically especially at the elementary level. we've got to do it zone by zone, but we feel um the the board and the whole team I think did a lot of great proactive work to reach out
to the community, educate them about what's going on and try to get ahead of what's already in progress or approved but maybe not yet broken ground so that we can not be in a reactionary position in particular at summit.
Thank you. Good evening. I'm Mike Gddard, deputy director of public works. Um, been working on some of these schools projects for a long time. And so I'll I'll present to you kind of some of the common issues and and an overview uh kind of a path forward. Uh I should
mention as well that um BMD of Architects is here tonight to give an update on the uh K center project as well. So uh it's a dense a lot. So we're going to try and move for you. Uh a few
gent notes though. Um but let's look at our our our facilities holistically was uh as Kim mentioned the uh capacity study work we did in 2016 2017 um a lot's changed since then we had a
particular lens we were uh that that information we gathered is still use today but I think it's also uh we have an expanded uh interest now um I would say that it is important to
point out before I get into this, a lot of specific information here that we're not making a specific proposal with this slide deck. Um, we're kind of taking bits and pieces of things we feel like might be needed, but this is meant to be the opening of conversation. It's not
supposed to give you an exact um, you know, say go and we go do exactly what's on these slides. Um, and uh, I think it's important that I point out the Walker conversations happening because some of what we're
talking about here could be facilitated uh, by some of the stuff that the MDO team is going to show you with the Walker presentation. So when James says that here to for we've been attacking these uh appropriateness issues with smaller interventions over the course of
the summer um that's a little bit problematic because a summer is a very short window of time. Uh I would say that you'll see through the presentation of the different projects we've done and what we've been calling our modernization program that um though it
does make a part of a school nice uh is not the whole school by any stretch. Um, so I'll jump into some of the common issues we're seeing at our schools. Um, bathrooms are a big concern. Um, in a
lot of cases they're outdated. Uh, in a lot of cases they are not up to current ADA standards. So that's uh an important thing. Also, um there's concern about gender, who uses what restroom. Um we in
the new uh middle school project, we've gone with genderless restrooms. So one restroom, one person, doesn't matter your gender. Um we also did a a project that I'll show you in a minute out of Charlottesville High School that had a similar approach. Was very successful u
at Charlottesville High School. Nothing but positive feedback from that. So u that's one approach we could look at. Uh flooring. Um flooring is a big issue because uh a school's large, right? So it doesn't seem like a lot to change out some flooring, but when you got to do
the entire floor in a summer, that's a challenge. So what ends up happening is these patchwork flooring projects. Uh and then you end up with different types of floors, and it's um it's just not the best way to to tackle that. Also, carpeting in schools tends to be a
disaster. So, and there's some of it out there still. uh ceiling grids. Um you know, the ceiling grids are functional. They're doing their job, but they're outdated. Uh and I think when you walk into a school, uh it's really surprising how
important the impact of your ceilings and lighting are to your perception of that space. Um our ceiling grids across the the school system, we're working on it, but it's they're not all there yet. and CHS definitely has a lot of ceiling grid
that needs gone through. Um, lighting, our lighting is, you know, we've been moving through making LED adjustments uh as we change out lighting through the schools, but again, it's something that is it feels like maybe a
more um wholesale approach it's required. And then down at the bottom, there aren't pictures for these things cuz it's not something you take a lot of pictures of, but our mechanical and electrical and plumbing. These are big ticket items, you know, that we've been going through the schools trying to update the switch gear for the
electrical systems. It's very costly. It's very time consuming. Um, our plumbing systems, you know, some of the schools have old iron pipes underneath them. So, it's not as simple as changing out a toilet. If you want a toilet to work better, you have to go all the way
down the line and out to the street. And those are challenging things to take care of in a summer. Um and mechanical systems, you know, we want to have uh modern efficient mechanical systems. Uh and in a lot of cases, we do not. Simply put, we'll do
the next slide, please. So, I'll go school by school and kind of talk about the uh the condition of each school. Um each of these slides will be laid out similarly. In the upper left, we'll have some basic information about some projects we've completed, some
projects that we need to complete. Um, in the lower left, you'll see what was suggested by our capacity study work in 2016 and 17. Um, those numbers aren't picked up anywhere else in the uh grand scheme of things. They're just there for
your information. Um, and then some talk about suitability. um what the positives and negatives of each school and its site are. So, Greenbryer built in 1962. Uh we've done some uh different projects there
over the years. Uh I won't read through all of them. Uh but we do have some major uh capital maintenance projects that are needed in the near future. windows. Uh the roof will be coming up, HVAC overhaul, generator replacement,
fire alarm panel. Um and then flooring and sinks and bathrooms. And I think uh this is one where the school there is some room for. >> No cafeteria. The auditorium is
undersized. Do I need to be in stereo? Right. Um the music class uh space is small. Um there's insufficient specialist instruction space. Um and there's no way to add a visitor
vestibule. That's something that's been priority for the schools to add a visitor vestibule at each of the schools. This one is nearly impossible based on uh how the school is laid out. Next slide, please. uh Jackson Via Elementary. Um you'll see
some similar things here. Um we've done some projects over the years. We did a the fourth grade modernization downstairs, which you'll see in a minute. Um but we have some big issues here, too. Uh the roofing, which is on schedule to be done uh in a couple of
years. Uh it needs an HBAC overhaul. Uh and we need to replace building sealants. Um lower left you'll see some suggestions for how we had planned to expand the school in our last goround. Um suitability of the school. It's got a
lot of land. That's good. Uh it has two internal courtyards which are very nice. Uh it has no kitchen or cafeteria though. Uh and natural light for the classrooms is minimal. Um it's got those slot windows. So each classroom has a little window about this wide and that's
what lets natural light into the classroom. Um, I can't speak for what people were thinking back in the day, but um, kids are like plants. They need light. Um, and there's no outdoor covered play space. Next slide, please.
Summit Elementary. This is one of our oldest schools. Um, but ironically, I think it's uh, one of the best. Um, constructed 1930. Uh, there's been a lot of development over the years. uh major addition for instance um unfortunately
that major addition built floor plates that don't match up with the existing floor plates so there are like half floors at the transition again I don't know what they were thinking but um and this is one that Kim mentioned has very little space for expansion
um it's in need of a roof uh it's in need of electrical switch gear replacement an HBAC overhaul uh and a modernized elevator Um, suitabilitywise, it has large classrooms and good natural light. So, this this building actually has what you
would hope for in a modern classroom. Good size classes, lots of modern mo natural light. That's funny because it was built 100 years ago, but what goes around? What what's everything's cyclical, right? >> Yeah. >> U stately building. It's a beautiful
building. So, um, you know, we would never suggest doing anything with this. Uh however uh the traffic parking issues in the neighborhood are tough. It is landlocked. It has very little space. Uh as I mentioned the different interior levels. Um I mean the site conditions
here are a wreck. So you know we would have to look very closely at what we wanted to do with this site. Next slide please. Uh Trailblazer Elementary, another of the old ones and again a beautiful and good functioning school. A lot of the
same things apply here. Um, we would like to replace the generator and the transfer switch. Um, do HVAC overhaul, repair and replace the wood corners and trim. Um, in terms of suitability, um, again, it's
well, this one has a large auditorium, which is nice. U, there's a courtyard, which we could use for something maybe. Um, a nice play field. Um, unfortunately, it has four different interior levels. Unfort this is a common theme for whatever reason when people in
the past have added on to schools they don't care where the floors already are they just put new floors and say here's a staircase um which worked great when there weren't people with ADA issues I I guess that was the case in the old days
um and then uh a lot of cut through traffic through the site which you know that's that is what it is um but you know overall a good school good bones Um, next slide, please. Sunrise Elementary. Uh, we've done some
work here recently. Uh, we did a library renovation here a few years back. Uh, it had a roof replacement in 2000 and it will get another one uh in 2027. Um, it had a security vestible vestibule
edition, which is good. Um, but in the future, we've got, like I said, the roofing membrane replacement. uh some slate roof repairs, HVAC overhaul. You're seeing a theme here. Um floor covering replacements. Um suitability
wise, it has a a nice library cuz we just did it. Um it has great solar orientation, which is a good thing. Um especially since we're trying to put solar on a lot of our schools and all of our new roofs are solar ready. Um
adequate buildable land, so we could build an addition here or something else that we needed. Um, art room is inadequately sized. However, I stem room has egress concerns, so it's down in a basement. It's hard to get in and out of there. Uh, and then there's two isolated
lower levels. So, there's a lower floor level that aren't connected in the middle. They're just kind of separate out. Uh, next slide, please. Tall Oaks. Uh, this one was known as Johnson, in case you're confused. I know I still am. Um,
this one has uh recently received a rooftop terrace, which is a nice addition. We just finished that one last summer. Um, there was a library edition back in '94. Um, it needs a roof. It needs skylights
replaced. It needs once again a major HVAC overhaul and a generator replacement. Um, it suitability, uh, trails are nearby. That's good. It's connected to to the neighborhood. Um outdoor learning spaces are well connected. Um good good
amount of buildable land there. So if we wanted to do something, we could. Um and good natural lighting. So these middle era schools tend to have decent natural light. Um the media center could use an upgrade. Um outdoor
um play space would be useful. It's covered. Um multiple classrooms are undersized. Uh this is a a a specific one for this school. Um and then there could be some more specialist uh instructional space.
Next slide, please. Charlesville High School. This is a big one. Um constructed in 1975. It's a very large school, very spread out. Um we just did, as I mentioned, the B Commons restroom modernization. Very successful
project. Uh maybe a template for things we'd like to do in other schools. Uh the new the electrical distribution center system was just redone. Uh we just finished that up. Uh the roof replacement is just now finishing up third phase. So we've all lived through
three phases of roof replacement on CHS. Now um because it's so big, everything costs a lot because everything's a square foot multiplier and construction. So uh when it comes to doing things like ceiling replacements, I mean that's a long
project even if it's just that. Um, so it has a new roof that's solar ready. Great. Um, large library, excellent STEM lab, adequate build of land. So, this is a good site feel comfortable about this school generally. However, the library
could be updated. Uh, there's not much natural light in a lot of the classrooms for c some reason. Um there are some acoustical challenges, sounds traveling between classrooms and u again the the sprawling layout um just
makes everything security projects timeline and budget a challenge. Um but we do have a lot of space. So you probably noticed a few themes through all of that. I did want to, you know, we've talked several times about our uh peacemeal approach to
modernization. I want to go through what we've accomplished with that program since it was approved. Um first uh summit fourth grade classrooms in 2019. We uh feels like that was a different timeline, but um we completed a
renovation of the fourth grade wing. That was I think four classrooms is what we accomplished with a million dollars. Um that was the first one. It was the template. At the time we were going with classroom modern mo modernization and we figured we'd go through all the schools and do one grade at a time until we've
gotten the whole school done. What we're realizing is that here now that we've gone through all of the elementary schools, it's going to take um forever to get through all those schools and we still will never catch up. Uh Jackson Vio fourth grade classrooms. Uh we went
to the basement and took their kind of worst classrooms and made them the most modern classrooms in the school. very successful project. Um, the Sunrise Media Center and STEM space. So, we took their library and made it modern. We added a STEM space. Uh, it's
it's a really great um a great place to check out a book or to study science. Next slide, please. Uh, then based on our success there, we moved to Greenbryer and did another media center. Um,
another very successful project. Tall Oaks. We did an outdoor terrace. So, we took the roof of their gym, which was just a black uh EPDM roof membrane, and we added uh occupiable space there, modified the railings so you could
access it and the stairways and made it a place where you could do outdoor study. Um, and then Charlottesville High School B Common's restrooms. This is a picture of our of our restroom project there. Uh, we just finished this one up last year. Um, and we're very pleased
with this. I think it's um I think it is it could be a template for a way that we could make restrooms that work for everyone in the city schools. So, this slide talks about costs and I don't want anybody I said it before I want to be clear. This is not a specific
project that we're um proposing. This is kind of taking some things out of those buckets. Um, you know, we took the required maintenance that you saw on each of those building slides, for instance, and and put them in there. I put a number for bathroom renovations.
So, if we wanted to do the bathrooms in the school, there's a placeholder number, and you'll see it's a nice round number. Anytime you see a round number in construction, you should be worried about the accuracy of that number, but there's a number there. Uh, and I think it's in the ballpark. um ceiling and
flooring renovations. Uh we took square footage numbers um for replacing all the ceilings and floors in the school and likewise with lighting renovations. Um some of these things have already been you know pencileled in as future projects. Um some most of them have not.
Um but we just wanted to give you a sense of scale of what we're talking about. And the things that aren't in this this package of numbers are things like natural lighting. There's not a dollar in here for increasing the size of a window that only has a slot window. Um, these are
these are basically we did our best to take the school that we have now and not change really anything about that school except that everything finishwise and impressions wise as you walk into this school is modernized and new. So, this
is you see down at the bottom $100 million. We're not talking about escalation costs. You know, what does this cost by the time we get there? How long does it take to, you know, get to the decision point? As James mentioned, we would want to do an in-depth study on
each school and really lay out a capital program if this was something we were interested in in biting into. Um, but I think the point here is just to say here's a very basic approach we could take and this is the number we came up
with. Is this a conversation we want to have? So, I'll close there with that. You know, I'm always here for questions. Um, but I also thought it was important that I give an update on one of our big projects right now. You'll notice that
on all of these slides, you don't see anything about Charles School Middle School and you don't see anything about the prek center. That's because we have active projects on those two sites. Um, and because of that, the schools are perfect. Um,
not really, but I think you'll see that we're getting pretty close here. Um, this is an update on Charlottesville Middle School. Teachers moved in today, so we are, this is brand new information. So status on Charlesville Middle School, as you'll remember, if you've been
following along, right now we're at this moment where um you know, we're using the new buildings. So we built new buildings, now we're going to go back and renovate the old buildings. While we're renovating the old building, building A, um we're occupying these
brand new buildings. So I encourage everybody to try and get a look because they are beautiful. Um, this is the view from the playfield looking up towards on the right side of the screen the gym building and on the left side the classroom buildings uh of
the new Charlottesville Middle School. Next slide, please. This is what the restrooms look like uh pretty much throughout Charlottesville Middle School. It's the same idea as the uh Charlesville High School restrooms. One person, one restroom, doesn't matter
your gender. Um, plenty of ADA restrooms. Um, this is a much better and easier to manage uh restroom facility because it has eyes from the hallway. Um, here's the new gym, which I think is when I
stood in it, I was like, this is the most phenomenal gym >> in Charlottesville. Um, next slide, please. This is we're very much still in construction. This was, you know, 3 days ago, which is an ancient history. um in
a construction project. But these are the folks putting together the main uh grand stairway of the new middle school uh and this little seating area, the wooden seating area on the right there where people can gather and take their time. Next slide, please.
This is a typical classroom. I didn't select based on anything besides I was walking by and I took a picture. So, this is what an average classroom looks like. Um, very nice, good natural light, brand new furniture, brand new everything.
Next slide, please. And this is the main entryway. So, this is where uh if you remember the old Buford, the staircase you're standing on here would have been the old staircase you would have taken down to the admin offices. This is now enclosed space. It's the junction
between the new buildings, which you see on the right of the image, and the old buildings, which are under construction on the left. So right now all of the penetrations between that wall and the left are sealed up and inside people are absolutely ripping that building apart.
If you go look at I mean there is precious little left steel. That's about all that's surviving this thing. Um but it's all in the interest of making this a a great learning environment. And I think uh once you see it finally
completed it's going to be really something to behold. But we're happy that we're at this place where we've gotten the new building constructed and uh occupiable and uh I don't want to say the hard work is over, but that work is over.
All right, next slide. That's it. Okay. Um so I guess now would be a good time for any questions about this part before we queue up DMDO to talk about our prek center. Um yes I have some kind of questions and
thoughts. Um where I see where Greenbryer has you know um last year had 234 students and Nick at the um and um
summit is at 300. So, and you know, and I know I'm not going to talk about every time when I was on council, but it was almost just the opposite a few, you know, I know 10 years or so ago and that we were, you
know, you know, said, do we Clark had do is enough students there to keep it open. That's how fewer students that it was there. It was like 120 or so students. It was really low. So, I you know, I'm just thinking what's happening here is
Greenbryer, you know, um, you know, people like Lloyd and I don't live there, but you know, our kids are gone and we're still in the house. There's no there's no kids there. But I guess in 10 years, you know, it could change. And, um, what I did, I did a quick ad of the
maximum capacity, and that's about 5,300. And, um, so it looks like we have capacity of about a thousand students or so, Kim, something like that that we could grow. um with because what I was looking at is that your numbers and it
didn't include any like expansion and um but I think that we have a fair amount of capacity um you know we haven't seen how the new zoning noise is going to play out and
how you know you know anyway I'm just kind of just just thinking off the top of my head um that um do we think we need capac passing in the schools for future growth. >> So I I think what we're dealing right
now is a couple of things that people don't see. Um so part of the issue and this came out during our conversation when we were reszoning. So in terms of the things that make us really successful such as providing the
interventions for students uh sometimes that's happening in the closet. So it's the additional resource spaces that people are forgetting about. So yes, we have some areas where we have some areas where the enrollment ticks
up, but it's the other things that makes the student achievement work in terms of where we provide reading intervention, math intervention. And I can tell you in any you can go in any school and it's happening in a hallway um daily. It's
happening in a book room daily. Um and so yes. So do we need more room? Is there are there opportunities to expand? Absolutely. Because those things shouldn't be happening in a book room. They shouldn't be happening in a hallway. Um but they absolutely do
happen every single day. And when we open schools up next Wednesday at every school, you'll see that happening. Um so I would say yes. >> So Dr. Well, how is this going to look I guess in a few years when
um the fifth graders come back? Is that factor in here? >> Yes. So, we we're going to do a um it's going to be an even swap. So, we are moving out prek students and then um the principles will work to reconfigure the
building so that the fifth graders can come back in. Yeah. Um but again I just want to make sure that I'm plugging that we keep what we keep in front of us is that even once we reconfigure even once we um reszone we still are going to have
students who are receiving those additional services what we call tier 2 well tier 2 happens in the classroom um largely uh but those tier three interventions are happening in hallways closets and things of that nature. Yeah, I mean I remember them taking place two
or three students in in in the cafeteria, you know, um different parts of the cafeteria, you know, pulling students out. So, >> yeah. Yeah. >> Mayor Wade, if I if I might just in the conversations we've been having when we look at school population enrollment,
we've looked out five years and to the best of our ability in terms of projections, projections are the best we can do. It doesn't look like we're going to see a substantial increase in school population to drive a need to do additions to schools for that reason.
But as Dr. Gurley has pointed out, the the when we think about modernizing the school building, that's where you get into the need for breakout rooms for a variety of purposes and the need to expand space for for STEM uses, for media centers, for technology. And
that's where we start to think about the need for additions in that kind of space. Um, I think one of the things we're hoping to get from all of you tonight is your reactions to the status of the school buildings as they are today relative to these issues, particularly to that issue of
modernization. And and I'm going to offer something on on the numbers that Mike gave. I kind of see those and this might draw a gasp as kind of a floor because that is in some respects what he shared as kind of the minimum interventions necessary just to to to
bring the school buildings up to a good condition and make them look nice and attractive and invite all very positive things. But when you start rolling in these aspects of modernization um and the the additional space we might need to accomplish that that's when
that's when it really gets expensive and that's the kind of stuff we would uncover going school by school. >> Yeah. I'll get um council to chime in. Natalie, you have any thoughts? You your CJ grad you mentioned that capacity
sorry um you mentioned that for functional capacity uh is calculated at about sorry best fit is 80% or below or of functional capacity how is functional capacity calculated So for that I would need to defer to the
people such as the BMDO folks who are in the room. I don't know if they maybe could speak to that when they're at the podium because we actually depended on them to determine to set those targets. >> Okay. >> Um so I just I don't want to misspe >> Rob Winston. I'm principal
and Walmart. So >> we just need you in the microphone for the people home. Okay. >> So, uh typically what we see Virginia Department of Education has a formula essentially and the conversation you
were having about uh intervention spaces and things those are non-capacity generating spaces. So the spaces that are used for the capacity calculations are only classrooms. So that's something to understand first. So, we take all of the classrooms in the school and we
multiply that times a a student capacity factor for those classrooms. Typically, it's around 25. Uh for some spaces like prek, it'll be 18. Uh because we want a higher u or lower student toteer ratio. But you run through that capacity
calculation and for the Virginia Department of Education, the max capacity assumes that every classroom is completely full all day long. Well, if you've ever worked in a school or been to a school, that is not the way schools work. So, sometimes kids are sick, sometimes you can only have 20 kids in a
classroom, sometimes there are 28 kids in a classroom depending on what your school population is that year. Uh, and then of course, teachers need planning time and other things throughout the day. So, you you know, you don't have a seven period day or an eight period day
where the teacher is teaching every single one of those periods. So, we typically use a 0.85 85 utilization factor to go from max capacity to functional capacity, right? And and those functional capacities uh change
depending on what kind of program you're using. If you're using a block schedule, your utilization factor might be as low as 75. If you're using a seven period day, it might be 085. So, we use different utilization factors to adjust to what is actually realistic for
operating a school. And then as as Miss Powell said that um you know schools need the ability to to move students and teachers throughout the day to support different a wide variety of programs. And so um operating a school at that 80%
of functional capacity or 85% um is pretty optimal and once you get beyond that it starts feeling crowded and you start having challenges with scheduling spaces in the building and things like that. So is that helpful? >> Yeah. Great. Thank you. >> I didn't know if that was there was like
a formula or if it was custom based on this the school, but sounds like kind of both. Yeah, there's a little bit of flexibility for the Okay, thank you. >> Um Mike. Um well, sure. Well, one question to start out curiosity
with that that total cost estimate, you know, of hund00 million, you know, as you said, that would be over some number of years. What if the city was providing somehow like
$10 million a year for um facilities improvements and maintenance? Just to throw a theoretical example, what if any limitations would you confront in terms of project management capacity or ability to find um contractors, subcontractors, construction workers or
are you not seeing that as the real binding constraint? Uh time is the problem. I would say that um getting getting that work done within a summer is not possible. Um, so we would have to have a
way to stop people from being in that school for a long enough period of time that we could do the work. And when we're doing that, I would say it would make sense maybe to combine a couple of those packages into I don't know whatever it works out to be for an entire school to
get everything it needs. I think that's the way to go. In terms of um contractors, yeah, I think this is the worst world I've ever lived through. uh in terms of finding contractors to do work, but again, it's advantageous to
put the most in because then you're getting a larger uh outfit to do the work being more efficiently in that case. if I could if I could add in. So, so part of what we would be doing if we did a school by school modernization program, um what we would look at is
building out a CIP again, 10, 15, 20 year time horizon that would that would build that out both in terms of a financing plan and a construction plan. So, we would we would match that schedule over a long period of time to staffing capacity and financing
capacity. I guess um just some quick initial thoughts. So it sounds like you know enrollment is projected to slightly decrease or roughly remain the same since you know roughly 2010 enrollment
ended up being about flat. Um absent enrollment you know there's still issues of beyond you know the physical student capacity additional resources and the spaces need there. And then maybe most important, I mean like most of the schools have major full HVAC replacements that regardless of
enrollment, if that needs to happen, that's a huge project. Um, and you know, I think about, you know, the general assembly's JARK study which showed statewide Virginia has a backlog
of over$2 billion of school construction investments that are needed. Um and in their own report they acknowledge that the state systematically underfunds school construction and they haven't fixed it. Um so we have to figure out in that context how we still try to move
things forward. But it makes me think I do think there's at least a possibility in the next several years depending on election outcomes. We will finally have a state government that will significantly change school funding and also finally approve um approving a
sales tax for school construction which did pass with bipartisan support in the legislature but was just vetoed by the governor. In that context, I could very easily see us having 10 million plus dollars a year for school construction. And you know,
I'm just curious if we assume that case, then how do we start to plan school by school how to do it and kind of triage what schools do we start at first? Um cuz that's kind that was my first reaction. To me, it seems like that may be the best way to approach it. And I do think hopefully we're actually maybe a
year or two away from that actually being our situation in terms of the state money available to us. Um, so I think if that happens, we have to start to think like school by school and take on things like HVAC projects that eventually we're not going to be able to
delay anymore. Um, Lloyd, do you have any? >> Yeah, the the question I have sort of follows on what Michael was asking about, and I'm I'm just trying to figure out what it would look like if you were to do one of these large renovation
projects on a particular school. Are you suggesting that we would be closing down that school for for nine months? And if so, what does anybody think would happen with those students and those teachers? >> Uh, ideally, yes, I do think we would
close it down for that period of time. Um, because we're finding out that having students on an occupied an occupied construction site is a challenge. So, um, that would be the ideal. Um, and the solution, I think, uh, probably has something to do with
the, uh, Walker campus, and I think we'll hear a presentation about that that'll maybe shed some light on on that thought process. But I think there is a a way that we could use the existing Walker campus uh, as we develop that site as a a landing pad for those
schools. Yeah, I you know Emily report you know I don't know if you all want to chime in as as well. I mean the the numbers are they're high but it it it cost a lot. I mean you know I think we did something similar many years ago when I was on
school board. It was like in the 70 or 80 it's not going to get cheaper and these are things that we have to do. We have older schools that they cost more um to maintain, but they're, you know, um particularly the older ones. They're really nice looking buildings. We just
have to kind of figure out a way to do it with all the other needs that we have in this city. Um it's a old city thing. >> We got old pipes and stuff. We have a lot of things that we have to do, but we I mean we just have to, you know, we just, you know, figure out a way. I
think that Michael mentioned it with um um hopefully we'll get the the um the tax that we can know that we can target specific projects on and you know maybe things will slow down a little bit. We have capacity but anyway we we we just
have to work through it to see how we we can do it. >> Quickly something I have a question to add. So your question for us about what you would like us to respond to, I mean yes, we want to like make our schools
better. So what are the specific kind of points of feedback that you would like? >> I mean that's we were looking for the for reactions. Looks like Sam has some thoughts on that as well.
Uh we were looking for reactions. be back at I mean there's there's again a couple different ways we can go here. We can continue down the path of doing this on an annual basis. What are we able to accomplish within a summer? We can take this holistic approach to each school and start looking at this a
school by school basis. Um, we also are are are looking for your um on your reaction relative to the uh level of intervention at the school level that that that people that you all
right now at least based on what you know about the schools um might have an interest in pursuing. You know, should we be really just looking at bare bones what are the needs that need to be addressed per the slide that that Michael shared or should we looking beyond that into what do we need to do
to actually modernize these school buildings? >> Right. How much triage do we want to do before weartedly >> fix fix it? >> Yeah. >> Um >> as well as just appreciating the idea that the um
how did you refer to it, Mike? the the baseline is $100 million. >> So that's one thing uh to have a reaction to the sense that it would take that and that's not perfection. That's not all school facilities being these
new spaceships that land and take care of our kids. >> I mean yeah I think given the fact that the viewer project was 70 I don't think 100 is a shock to any of us. It's just are we spending that in three years or spending that in 20 years that's all >> you know and how much of that is coming from state. Yep.
>> Or or bonus. >> So it's it's the amount that is required. It it will be about the sources in which we use to take care of them. And then of course I always remind you and that is in contrast to however many other priorities that are on the list and how do we make them offer.
>> Yeah. So I guess we're not being asked to vote on anything today because this is all >> eliminated. Just looking for reaction there. There's more. So we're going to go ahead and shift. Right. And I should point out that uh project cost for Buford is actually 91 million. >> Right.
>> Just to keep it in context. >> Thank you. >> Um I do also want to just note something that um was mentioned at the beginning um which I know we've heard before and is cool to see theory happen in real life where as more dense housing was built there was a shift from where
people lived. So students were able to go into the new buildings and then families were able to move into the neighborhoods. And as um which is kind of the whole point, that's that's the goal, having people rightsize what what their housing needs are. And as um uh
Juan alluded to, there's the empty bedroom problem of neighborhoods that used to have whole families. Now the kids have moved out and their former bedrooms are not housing kids anymore. And there's not a shift to um I'm not saying you all have to leave
your family homes, but there's not that shift to rightsize that scenario because those spaces don't yet exist. You know, people don't have the the backyard units that they can move into and then let a family live in the bigger house they used to live in or whatever. That that is all still hopefully things we'll see
as our zoning code adjusts and we see more development and infill within our city. So all of that, like we were talking about at the beginning, the housing of it all is going to be something that we pay attention to very closely because that will affect enrollment and enrollment
patterns and also birth rates. When there's more affordable housing, people will consider having children. That's a broader nationwide issue, but is not is not incorrect and will affect affect every but that actually worked. Yeah. that
>> I'd like to point out also the elephant in the room as far as these numbers go. Um these are enrollment numbers based on our current schools. When you modernize and improve a school, there are people in this community whose kids aren't enrolled in public schools. And there's
a tipping point for each of those families. And when the school gets nicer, I'm not saying it's all about the buildings, but I think it's fair to say that some of it is. And when these things change, then suddenly you've got a different enrollment pattern. I'm very curious to see what happens to
Charlesville Middle School. Uh, you know, does everybody stay in private schools over time that currently is, or do they start to come back when they see this great new school we're building? I don't know. >> So, I wanted um the school board
There we go. >> Um I think actually if we can have the view of this presentation and then it would be helpful for us to be able to respond holistically. >> Okay. Thank you. >> And I would just very briefly say just my reaction is I feel like it would make sense to begin to prepare a plan for
modernizing each individual school and then plan that thinking about it being operationalized when and if the state makes substantially more money available. The sales tax alone I think would be around $10 million annually just for school construction. But I do think it makes sense to start planning
for modernization of each individual school. And looking through it, every single school required a major fat replacement. There's really not a choice when I see that besides moving beyond just doing things over the summer. >> Can we add in when you get a pilot from
UVA also? Yes, but I'm I'm more optimistic we'll get the uh money from the state before UVA. But all right, I'm going to hand this over um to Maria Beninski. uh she's uh well she'll introduce herself but she's an
architect at VMBBO and she's been shephering us through our uh planning process for the Walker campus in the middle of the prek. >> Good evening everyone. >> Good evening. >> Uh Mike said I'm Maria. I've been um working at the MDO a very long time and
with the Charlottesville city schools for coming up on a decade I think here which is pretty wild. Um so uh the past um I guess maybe four months or so um we've been asked to look at um the
Walker campus and kind of a dual track uh study here. We've been looking at the early learning center which will house the preschool classrooms for Charlottesville City Schools. Very exciting. Um and at the same time we were asked to look at a master plan for
the campus. Um over the past six months or so, the visioning happening within the city schools and public works for this site has really been developing and some needs have been identified um that potentially could be served on this site. Um so the ask for us was to come
back at our early learning center design that we had worked on in um 2021 2022 during the reconfiguration planning and adjust it um as needed um to test out can we fit that early learning center plus a number of additional uses that
I'll get into in this presentation um next I guess unless I can advance. You're advancing. Okay. um Walker campus of course located um at the north end of town right by the bypass uh not far from Charlottesville High School. Next
um here's a site aerial. Uh Rose Hill Drive tees into this site at the south. Gentry Lane runs along its west edge and along its east edge is a busy road known as the 250 bypass. Um and McIntyre Park is just across the bypass from the site.
Next. So, here are the uses that we were asked to look at um fitting into the Walker site. Um some are on site already and some are new ideas to bring to the site. Um next, I'm going to go through them one by one with you. Central office. So,
currently there is of course a central division office at the north end of the site. Um, central office does have an issue though where they actually can only fit about half of their staff within this office building. So, the other half are in the lower level of Charlottesville High School. Um, a
challenge of course for operations. Um, and there's a desire to one day be able to bring all the staff together so they can be in one building and also to free up that space within Charlottesville High School so it can be dedicated to academic use. Next,
Pro. Uh this is an existing facility in the southeast corner of the site. Um there's a in addition to the pool itself, there's some recreational spaces. Um it's used for some afterchool programming uh at times over the years. Um and you know it's an existing parks
and wreck asset. I think there's visioning ongoing about what the future of it should be. Um but it is serving the community at this time and overtime has been used occasionally by students on the Walker campus and that could continue to be the case into the future. Next,
the Early Learning Center. That's going to be a lot of the focus of what I talked to you about this evening. Um, and we're looking at a, you know, new purpose-built home, um, for Charlottesville's youngest learners. Um, this is a really big deal. This is bringing all the preschool staff,
leadership, and resources, which has been they've been spread across the six neighborhood elementaryaries to date. Um, into one building that's purpose-built for young learners whose needs and academic patterns are very different from elementary schoolers,
middle schoolers, etc. So, um, very exciting new project. Next, okay, Lugo McInness Academy. This is Charlottesville City School's alternative high school program. Um, it's currently about the scale of 30
students and has been overs subscribed for a very long time. There have been waiting lists and you know, there hadn't really been a hope that it could expand to meet the need of those waiting lists. Um, they're working on developing a night school that still isn't going to take care of everyone on the waiting
list. Um so when you know people started to brainstorm about this site um the existence of the gym here uh really opens up the possibility for Lugo McInness to be located here because they need a gymnasium and there other there's other existing uh space on the site that
they could use existing buildings um without a slated use in the future. Um so this was something that really prompted um the request to us to kind of reinvision how could the site be used. Um and not only you know the existing facilities which are assets that could
be used by Lubo Meganis with the light renovation there's also the location of Walker fairly proximate to Charlottesville High School and also to the K-tech um center. So that's seen as an asset as well. Next and then elementary swing space and this
came up earlier. So, um the idea that those renovations which um might occur at the elementary schools could be achieved much more economically, much more quickly with much less pain um if an entire school is able to move out um
to a swing space u for a year, year and a half while their building is under construction. Um so these this is all kind of the handful of different site uses that we were requested to look at. Um, next, um, before we dig into the phasing and
the different, uh, locations of those uses, uh, I'm going to go into the early childhood, the early learning center, pardon me, um, in a little bit of detail with you next. Next. Okay. So, um, we've just con
completed concept design for this, which would be the first phase of the master plan. Um this project for the early learning center is the next major investment in Charlottesville city schools facilities that's upcoming um for our city. And you know the whole idea is make sure we do it in a way that
allows this all of the site potential to um still unfold in the future. We're not doing something that cuts off some possibility. So the master plan is not something that's prescriptive saying we must do all these steps. It's something where we show possibilities and as we complete each step we make sure we're
doing it in a way which does not um you know block uh future developments which might be desirable. Next, uh, and just a reminder, um, probably everyone's familiar, but, uh, this early learning center is, uh, the completion
of the reconfiguration process that's being put in place to complete the reconfiguration that was started with the Charlottesville Middle School project, which is going to bring together grades six, seven, and 8 um near Cherry on the Cherry Avenue site. Um, elementarymentaries will host grades
K through 5. And then um the preschool center will um now to be called the early Charlottesville Early Learning Center um will be the home for all of those preschool classrooms that have been spread across the six elementaryaries. And you know there's this idea that we're not just reconfiguring grades as we do this.
We're uplifting our facilities. on each time we put someone into a new space, we're making sure that that space is the best it can be um to in order to support their development, their health, um teacher retention, all of those things that um a good facility can do for us.
Next, um and early childhood is a pretty facility inensive endeavor. uh classrooms for this age group are larger than your typical elementary classroom and a lot of that is because they're not reading yet and their curriculum is physical. There are a lot of different
materials, equipment, um that are needed um curriculum that cycles through for different lessons and then needs to be put into storage because they're really learning from, you know, they're not doing paper and pencil all day. They they really are learning by doing and touching and moving and building. Um and
then they also need direct access from those classrooms to boiler rooms. That's a very big deal for logistics and also for the development of children's sense of autonomy um ability to care for themselves and do what they need to do without adult gatekeepers, you know,
taking them down the hall. next. Um, and we believe that it's really worth the investment to create these appropriate spaces for them because, um, you know, these early years, three and four years old, it's a very consequential time for growth and
learning for a young person and can really, um, impact their trajectory moving through the rest of their academic career and and their life. Next, the scale of the center that's being proposed for the Walker site is 20
classrooms. Um, this allows a little bit of growth, but it's essentially maintaining the existing scope of services. Um, uh, it was u given to us a charge so to make sure that however we do the design uh, we need to be able to
uh provide for a future expansion of about 12 classrooms. And that's so that uh in the future if our operational funding um were made available, we could increase the size of the three-year-old program to match the size of the four-year-old program. And that's because a two-year experience where you
get to be there as a three-year-old and four-year-old is shown to have um a great benefit um for outcomes in in preschool. Next. Okay, so back to the Walker site where this is all happening. Um we've got building A labeled here. That's the main
classroom building that has a cafeteria in its lower level. Next, building B, that's the auditorium building. It also houses classrooms for visual and performing arts. There's a functional skills classroom in there as well. Next, building C is the gymnasium
to the south there. Next, Crow Pool is in that uh southeast corner of the site. Next. And the central admin building is up in that north corner of the site. Next. So, starting about a year from now, um,
all the preschool classes in Charlottesville City Schools will be taking place in building A without much significant renovation of any kind. They're just using it as is, as a swing space. um while next
the construction of the new facility um occurs right next to them. Um so if everything stays on schedule, you know, that means about a year of design and then a couple years of construction and next
in fall 2028, they will start school in their new facility. Um, and we've worked on this concept design not only to try to stay out of the way of other site uses that you'll you'll see in a little bit. Um, but also to try to tackle one of the major challenges of this site,
which is it really lacks outdoor play and learning space at the level of the classrooms. So, we've worked hard to provide that amenity um to the new building and then also actually improving the case for building A uh
somewhat as well. So, um you'll see, you know, we we're entering, excuse me, um the new early learning center, um from a bus loop that's facing north there. You can see the red triangle that's pointing at the entry. So, it's a a front door in Gentry Road, not far from the existing
building A entry. And then there are series of um terraces. Um so, each level of classrooms, and there are three levels that step all the way down to that playing field level that's kind of at the the center of the site. Um each of those offers every classroom in the
building immediate access to outdoor learn and play space that's secured um development developmentally appropriate um you know spaces for for play and learning. It's really an outdoor classroom. Next >> um one quick question. Will that road
have to be relocated? I'm trying to think of for building a to the road. Um is enough space there? >> Yes. So, um there is there there's a um retaining wall involved basically in um
moving, you know, current. >> So, it's going to be like right up to the current building. >> Yes. Pretty cool. >> So, um Yeah. Actually, and if we go on, you'll be able to see the the entry landscape a little bit. Um but essentially, there's a bunch of land on the site um that is a hillside right
now. And so we're we're suggesting that you cut into that hill to create part of that bus loop. Um you know the retaining wall I think on average you said five or six feet tall. It's not a gigantic retaining wall. Um but it is it is a big site move in order to create that appropriate entry landscape um at the
front door which building A really lacks right now as it exists. Um and the new building as you probably noticed is a majority of it is going on the existing parking lot that's by building A. Um so there are some big site moves involved to make this work and that yes a good an
astute note there. Um so this is looking from the south um at the new facility. Uh the gym roof you can see on the lower right of the image. Uh building a a south facade that includes that um opening to the cafeteria. You can see in
the upper right um you see the roof terraces I mentioned. There's a central spine of sight circulation through the middle there. And you can see the connector over to building A. Um, and that allows building A, whoever is in there to make use of our elevator that connects all three levels of the site.
Again, that vertical movement across the site has been a big challenge. So, um, trying to really heal that up with this project. Um, and the project also creates a terrace, a roof terrace at the level of the cafeteria, building A. You've been in that cafeteria and stepped out, there's really not an
outdoor space at the scale of that um, cafeteria room. Uh, and this provides that. Um, as well as these other site connections. Next, you can see we've matched the building levels. I didn't I didn't tell Mike they
didn't talk ahead of time, but yeah. So, we have matched the new building levels to building A um so that they can make the most of the vertical circulation um between the two of them. Next. Um, and this is a front door shot of the
new early learning center with green signage above. Um, so we're standing with building A is on our left. Um, the new bus loop is to our right and the big hillside, um, along Gentry. U, the, you know, open site circulation down through the site. You see in the slot there, we
could pass under that connector to building A. Um, if we have time, we could check in. people have questions on this or I can just blow through to the master plan. >> Oh, is that you is that the last time? >> This is the end of the concept design
portion and then I can lead you through the master plan. >> We have about 15 minutes. So, it's quickly any questions from council meeting. >> Okay. >> All right. And the master plan will put some of this in context, too. All right. So, next slide, please. I think we all
agree though. It looks really nice. >> Yeah. >> Nice. >> Um, wonderful. Uh, we've had a lot of fun with it over the past month for sure. Um, okay. So, how does this early learning center design fit into a larger plan for the Walker site? Um, again,
here are site uses that I described earlier. Next, um, today's picture where we're using buildings A, B, and C for Walker Upper Elementary. Um admin is on the north pro on um the lower right of the image southeast. Next
talked about the early learning center already moving into building A is a swing space next and that'll be through um spring of 2028. This is uh this diagram represents the new early learning center that we were just looking at opening in fall of 2028. That's a completion of what we're
calling phase one of the the master plan next. Um, and then we're saying that with a year-long project, um, of light renovation, building B could become the home of the Lugo McInness Academy. Um, and that would give them use of the
gymnasium. Um, we're proposing that they would have outdoor recreational and learning space. Um, as you can see, kind of in an L shape. Um, that's that light orange to the east and to the south of the building. So, really that central courtyard that's currently the black top is dedicated to younger students. um and
they have their own space apart from that. Um next uh and then space three here represents the use of building A as that elementary swing space. Um and building A has I think 28 classrooms on the upper level.
Um and so and it's been operating as a 600 student school. So any of these elementaryaries that we have in in the city should be able to use this in a reasonable fashion for a year or a year and a half as needed. Um however you'll notice that up at the north of the site
we're not seeing the admin building anymore bringing you know we've got early learning center Luga McInness when we bring this third school to the site um we're showing that you need some additional parking for the staff. Um, and so that north end of the site, um,
we've taken to develop that parking. Um, and we're putting the administrative office space that's currently there into the lower level of building A in this scenario. And this phase could last from 6 to 10 years, um, you know, depending on how long it takes to get through all
those renovations. So, it's a a long-term scenario. Next. Um, and then finally, if it were desired, Mugo McInness has space to do a little bit of expansion. And ideally, um, you would do a kind of connector
piece with a an elevator. And, you know, these projects would happen in different orders, but, um, there's not great access for, um, someone in a wheelchair to building B right now. Um there's an ability to build a bit of a lobby with an elevator that can get someone from that rose hilling up into the site um
and to the the different levels uh that exist there. Uh and then next um see and so then in phase five there's that expansion we talked about of the the preschool center uh into building A. So that connector that we built becomes
an active back and forth for the preschool center and we finally build the central admin space um so that all of the staff can come together. Um currently showing them in that yellow portion they said they said put us last they did
>> they said schools first um >> but you know at the scale of 12 classrooms we don't need the whole of building A for the preschool expansion. Um so the space the built space is there and um this would give central admin uh its own front door facing north adjacent
to that parking that was developed in the prior phase. Um next. So overall um you know we've worked and believe like that we've really shown that it's possible to accommodate
multiple uses on this site. Um and in a sense it's so sloped it's almost better to have multiple small uses than be trying to span the whole site with you know one institution. Um we have reused existing buildings. So the only building demolition that's involved in this plan
is that small admin building. Every other building is maintained and reused um for a meaningful purpose. Um we've improved site circulation, provided some vehicle loops that are much needed. Um, we've located outdoor space for students directly outside the buildings that they
are in. Um, and we there are multiple multiple off-ramps, which is a good phrase we got from the schools. None of these phases require that the next phase be built. So, it's all possibilities, not necessities. Um, and so, yeah, we're excited to have been able to to work on
this uh project with with the schools. Um, next, and we're we're at questions. So, if I could I just quickly jump in to just frame that um
and I'm not trying to trigger anybody, but the FEI conversation that we had just a few months ago really really caused some reimagination to be possible to happen. And that site specifically triggered a lot of, well, what would we
do if we got that piece of property? How could that make a difference? losing that property. We did not lose that energy. We actually just redirected it to the Walker site. And as you see, that's where all of this has really come from. The the focus has been on we have
talked about and this this community has been prepared for the idea that the crow is to be demolished. That was discussed some time ago. While we still know that a decision ultimately has to be made, it was slated for demolition. This original design called for the gymnasium and the
auditorium to be demolished and we push back into well what else might we be able to do based on what came out of that FBI conversation. So we're here looking at that particular slide because we were kind of given that opportunity. So, I'll thank the federal government
for at least triggering that part of the conversation uh because it really made us be a little bit more creative and I actually appreciate the moment that it calls for us because we were able to go back to the designs and say, well, what if what might be possible if we did this? And that's how you have what the
MDL just presented. So, I just wanted to point that out to you and just saying now we got to figure out how to pay for it, but at least we figured out what it could be. Um, I'll let you go up first. >> All right. Um, we'll have a chance to provide some programmatic feedback to
Dr. Gurley and his team based on that. So, I think this conversation is going to be more directed with what we want council to hear from us. Um, I don't know it's the technology in our time, but I think one slide that I just would love us to be able to go back to is what
the dollar investment early results in. Um, and I just hope that that isn't lost. I don't have to sit in your seat and figure out exactly how to fund this. Um, you know, our job is to advocate for our schools and our students, um, who are also your citizens. Um, and I think
paying attention to what that dollar investment equates one of, what did it say? And um anyway, so uh Mr. Myers, go ahead. >> No, I appreciate this. I was just say
this vision looks great to me and let's go in my mind. Uh sorry Dr. Gurley, you're going to have to wait 20 years. Uh but maybe incentive to keep you around. No, but uh council colleagues, you know, I at least speaking for myself, you know, I think this is ambitious vision here and again I think
a lot of us want great opportunities and I think I heard a lot of comments from you all earlier that we do need to modernize and we're completely agreement there and um I know you know if we have to go get a referendum for sales tax and this is the vision I would be very behind helping you all sell that and and
again walking hand in hand with you to again help sell to the public too. So, uh, thanks. >> Yeah, thank you. Um, thank you for all of this. Nice to see you, Maria. Good to see you. >> Um, I I guess I wanted to roll back a little bit when you were talking about Mr. Freeze, the options or I don't know
if it was you or Mike, the options of whole building um, renovation or upgrades and the time that it would take to do that study. Was it three to five years that I heard you all I'm sorry. Could you say that one more time?
>> So, I believe when you initially presented the option of looking at just doing the minimal upgrades um and continuing to do just the improvement programs per site or per school as opposed to looking at doing a whole
school um upgrade or modernization. And I thought I heard one of you say that it would take three to five years to do that cost estimate study. And is that for all of the schools? I hate >> it wouldn't take us that long. Um I I
think we could I mean I don't I would say year minus is more the time frame. I I think I don't think it would take anywhere near that long to do that kind of analysis >> for each for each school or >> Well, no to for a I would say we should probably look at it holistically and
kind of present, you know, all of them as a as a package and then we could choose, you know, the sequencing based on need and whatever, you know, school board and council is interested in.
>> So, and at some point, I'm assuming u Mr. Sanders and Dr. Gurley, you're looking for some guidance from school board and then council. Um, you all are listening to us as far as which direction we would like to go, right?
Absolutely. So I think um once that assessment is done um you know I mean of course the the funding part you know will be the bigger issue but I think we do as a school division we will need to prioritize like what's what's urgent um
and then make that recommendation um to the city to the city. >> I'd agree with that. we we would always want to hear the recommendation from schools and and that in itself becomes a important piece for us uh to then try to factor in what are the choices, what are
the options. Um as I continue to say to council, I'm here to frame it and then they have to tell me which way we're going to go and then we will do it. Uh and I think that's really why it was important for us to make sure that this conversation happened now leading into this retreat that they're going to have.
uh because they have the big ticket items to discuss and then to really just figure out how hard are we pulling each of these levers because each one of them has a lot of money attached to them and it may be that we could get them all done just in different degrees or different schedules. I think that's
really what we're trying to get to. So I wouldn't say we're looking for an answer or a direction just yet. It really is more about reaction to what you're seeing and hearing and is it the right direction that you want to go in? Does it check the boxes that you had to
prioritize when you made the decision to serve in this capacity? >> Yeah. And I guess I'm I'm curious and I know that we have another CIP meeting soon, next month, I believe. But in looking at some of the work that that is slated to be done and specifically like
the amount of money to upgrade HVAC systems, that's a lot of money, right? And if we're going to do that and then still consider doing something more or upgrading or modernizing individual schools, I mean, at what point or what,
you know, I mean, this is a conversation obviously that we all need to continue to have, which direction do we want to head? And then I think about the middle school, state-of-the-art, beautiful building soon, and we're rolling into our early learning center, which I know
will be state of the art, you know, as far as and it's so important to start out with those littles, but I think our students in between those two spots deserve the same thing. Um, and and there's so much more that we can do for those students as far as
state-of-the-art learning. um you know just the quality of the educational spaces. So that's kind of where I'm leaning um is look looking to tackle those buildings and not just put band-aids on them. Nice bandaids.
Thank you. >> Thank you. Um Mr. Sanders and Dr. Fairley appreciate you bringing this to the forefront. I know at least in my time we have not had a substantive serious conversation about this and so I appreciate you bringing it forth um and
look forward to speaking with my colleagues and better understanding what we um would look for for our students in the division. Um, I do just want to draw some correlation here. Um, when we
talk in our community about what our priorities are, um, in the spaces of public housing and affordable housing and services and refurbishing our jail and putting money into that that um, this really is about
how we start a conversation about education. And if we don't get that right and we don't afford our children the opportunity to learn in a safe environment with, you know, modern facilities and teachers that are proud
to be in our district, then I think that's where we get the trickle down effect of not um being able to provide those services. And so I'm happy that we're having that conversation and um hopefully one mitigates the other when we start to do better in our schools and
in our facilities. So, I appreciate the conversation. Thank you. >> So, looking >> Wait. Hello. I got something to say. >> Thank you. Okay. >> Yeah. Um, yes. Well, welcome back everybody. Um, I do want to say that I
believe that these improvements will impact our students learning experiences and I'm truly excited to see the new designs come to life. That's it. have a great day. >> Um, so um I think that for council I
think that looking at the time um do we have a close call session? >> Yes. Okay. >> But it's short so that's your call. >> So I guess we have another I guess maybe another 15 minutes if you want to jump. >> Um I just two questions. Um, one is,
uh, you had mentioned that about half the admin, uh, staff are at CHS, while half are at Walker. And one of the things that Mr. Goddard pointed out was how big CHS is. I double checked the numbers for capacity, and CHS is pushing capacity the most out of all the
schools, but yet also is big. Is there was the conversation ever had about moving admin to CHS since it has more space or we need that for for the high schoolers and classrooms? There's no space to move admin to CHS. I
mean, we would be moving right now. We refer to the bottom of the of CHS as the annex. So, we would move staff out um and that would give us a little bit of room, but there's definitely not enough space to move the entire central administration to CHS
>> and that space would be able to be repurposed for capacity issues for students. >> Yeah, it would it would give us a little bit a little bit of room, but I always remind Mr. Sanders that um it's not exactly um it's it's it's not exactly
what we would need to >> uh build something state-of-the-art for our students. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Okay. And then um for how does transportation work if we're consolidating
prek to one building and are the littles good to ride the buses? Do they do that now? How does how do we collect them? Do we have enough bus drivers for that? What is the how does that work since it moves them from their neighborhoods to one central location?
>> So they would they continue to receive bus service as they do now. Now they ride the bus with their elementary peers. Um and we have already based on our current number of drivers which um we still need more drivers hiring
always. But um right now what we would be looking at doing is running we need to move the preschool uh transportation basically onto what we call the middle school tier. We run transportation in three tiers. So basically the bus a single bus driver will go out and do an elementary route. then they'll do a
Walker Buford or middle route and then they'll do a high school route. And so what we're going to need to do is move the preschool timing right now would have to go on that middle school tier. That's the way we're seeing that come together. >> And where where would the middle school tier? >> So it it falls in between basically the
way the buses are scheduled. Um it it really defines the start times for the schools, but um right now our elementary schools start around 7:30, the middle schools start around 8, high schools on 9:00. And so basically we would be taking the preschool the the new early learning center would
have a start time that would need it would by necessity right now based on our number of drivers need to fall on that middle tier because we do need to provide bus service. >> As as a former CHS student I strongly recommend we keep CHS at nine and no earlier.
>> Thank you. >> Michael did you have anything quick? Yeah, I would I would uh I I appreciate when life happens, you have to keep moving on. And uh I appreciate that the FBI situation helped trigger these
thoughts. Um because I do think this is a significant opportunity to seriously plan for systemwide modernization. Um, it does still make me think the fact that UVA taking FBI, you know, increases the cost of doing this as well as took
that property off the tax rules when UVA already avoids paying over $20 million annually in taxes, which alone would pay for this entire plan. Um, but that aside, um, I would say my reaction still to me, um, this seems like a really
exciting opportunity. it would seem to make sense to plan for modernizing all the schools. I don't know if that's done on a school by school case or if it makes more sense to do that systemwide and then we decide, you know, which ones we prioritize. I do think it makes a lot of sense to move into doing that with
the caveat that it's probably only feasible to begin operationalizing it, funding it once the state allows us to get some additional money for school construction. Uh just the the obvious fact is that if
we get the right to have a 1% sales tax to finance school construction at the current figures that's about $13 million a year. Uh and that would enable this
plan to work basically. And if it doesn't, we would have the only way to do it would be unless we're going to cut $13 million from other parts of the budget is to raise taxes by effectively about 10 or 11 cents on real estate
rate, which I think is is going to be politically free and public. So, uh we've got at least the three things we're going to be talking about in the in the retreat. Uh housing is something
we've made a $10 million a year commitment to. Here we're talking about another 10 plus million dollars a year and if we're going to do transit that's going to be probably another $10 million a year. Uh we don't really have an extra
$30 million$20 million at this point. So kind of going to have some difficult issues to confront particularly if we don't get the ability to impose that satisfaction. Uh, and I'll just chime in that um I'm impressed by the work, the detail that
VMDO did. You know, that you can do one things get kind of hairy. You could you don't have to it's not dependent on the the other one. Um, you know, the next project. So, I'm really impressed with the thoughtfulness that went in went
into it. Um, been trying to get some admin spaces for a long time. So, um, looks like it'll be for everything. We're excited we'll have some, but it'll be down the road to flip it. But really impressed with the work that was done.
So, thank thankfully your partnership. >> One small question. Sorry, not that small actually. Um, are there any legal constraints about why we couldn't also build housing on top of schools >> or allow housing to be built? Not necessarily.
>> Do you mean like at that site there or just in general? >> In g I mean, we've got a lot of school building projects coming up. What if they were at the bottom couple floors of a tall apartment complex full of teachers and families and I think that's
Yeah. I mean I not to bring FEI up again but I'll bring it up. Um there was like housing conversations about the FBI space they had I mean it was a hotel right and so a conference center and so I think how we
can have that kind of conversation about how we potentially um incorporate housing for our teachers as part of their benefit structure. Um, I think that's a fair conversation to have as well. >> Or just acknowledging that these are big
plots of land scattered nicely throughout the city that have a lot of vertical space that is not being utilized. What does that look like? And is when is the time to incorporate that thought process? >> I'll just say that we have talked about
it. So, is it lost on us? I'll take him off the hook on that. I guess just following up on that point really quick. If we find that the formally summit I for I forgot, excuse me, formally call it mail summit. I had it right, but I had it right. Um, if that site is not
working for us, maybe that's a consideration as well as housing turning it from a school to housing. >> That would be nice. >> I just Yeah, this is a big project. We're at the beginning of permanent conversations with it and I don't want to think of this in 5 years when maybe
it's something that could be good from the start. >> It is something I know that has come up in Alexandria. We've seen conversations about >> Do you mind talking about Michael? >> I I know that's been explored in um Alexandria. We've seen with the Mini
Howard project. Um I will say you know from what I know architecturally it will make the school construction more expensive. Um separating the occupancies u and increasing the project size to basically the bigger you build your building uh the longer it has to last in
a fire so people can get out. So you end up paying for more fire resistive construction than you would for a smaller spool. You know of course that's ignoring the cost of land which is very significant. I I do think, you know, just off the cuff with the reszoning, we
um basically a school needs a big site um and housing can happen on a smaller site. So, I know there's the idea that so much of our land has been locked up in single family homes on sites and um I think it's pretty interesting to to look
at a multi-use site like that for a school, but I think we've just started to unlock all of this very low-rise um development land for housing. So it makes sense to equally um kind of scrutinize are there ways um to build
smaller scale solutions where we're densifying at the scale of duplex, quadplex, things like that which will be just per square foot of construction cost. Those are going to be more affordable housing projects to build them. um you know the larger scale that
increases the complexity >> and I I think they're not mutually exclusive like that is all happening >> but and and >> in theory we're building the school portion and someone else is providing dollars to build the rest of it we are giving them access to the space and there's some kind of land lease
agreement or whatever where we are not paying for the construction of the housing >> so it you know the added cost of you know extra foundation or something is maybe a shared thing. You know, I don't how that partnership work or how that's been done in you said Alexandria.
>> Uh I know that we looked at some studies that were going on there. I don't know if they actually achieved the mixed use there, but it was being proposed as something that was supposed to be explored on the site for a new uh high school facility. So, it it is something that people are looking at certainly in dense areas. Could be worth exploring
here too. >> We're going to have to get ready to wrap up. >> Sure. So, just um thank you for putting this together. Um to both of you and all of the folks that work for our school system in the city. Um we appreciate council's interest in this ongoing
conversation. Um I think Mr. Meyer alluded to this, but to the extent that you can help um in advocating to the state and leading up into November uh to increase state funding for our schools, we are more than happy to do so and would look forward to that work. I would
just say regardless of the outcome of the election in November, we have projects in our schools that have to happen. Uh and so we look forward to hearing more after your retreat uh that's upcoming. Uh and with that, I will call the school board. Fortunately,
this meeting will end. Um and and likewise, I think this sets us up for um some great discussion um for um um the 15th. And so now um will you read us in the close session?
>> Jumping ahead on the special motion. >> Um pursuant to section 2.23712 of the Virginia code, I move that the city council close this open meeting and convene in a closed sessions authorized by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as follows. Pursuant to Virginia code section 2.237
3711A1 for discussion consideration of prospective candidates to be appointed to the following boards and/or committees. The police civilian oversight board and the planning commission. Okay. >> So moved. >> Okay. All approved say yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. We'll come back at 6:30. Thank
you. Part: 2
Hello, everyone. I'll call the regular, general meeting to order. Can you read us out of closed session, please, sir? Yes. I move that this council certified by a recorded vote that to the best of each council member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion convening the closed session were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed session. Can I get a second, please? Second. All in favor, are we voting? We should be able to There we go.
Did everyone cast your vote? Yeah. Yes. Yes. I can't, just Hit save. Okay. Did we do it? It's not showing. So everyone is a yes? Yes. Yes. Okay. We'll get this figured out. Yes. Yes. We'll There you go. Alright. So can we have a moment of silence, please? Thank you. Thank you. Are there any announcements? We one announcement we've got is that tomorrow night is the National Night Out, which Charlottesville Police are sponsoring. It will be at the Lower Field in Washington Park from 05:30 to 8PM.
They tell us there will be free food. I think they suggested Mission Barbecue and Kona Ice would be providing free food. And there's also, in addition to DJ and games and all this other stuff, a donut eating competition. So I'm not quite sure what that means. Certainly, this diabetic will not be participating, but, I'm sure that other people will, will have a good time. So if you wanna come and find out what a donut eating competition is all about, 05:30 to 08:00, Washington Park.
Thank you. Hope people can make make it out. I think they've got some great activities and things planned. So Alright. I've got a couple. The first is that this Sunday, August 10, is the next in our series of monthly neighborhood walks put on by the, bike and pedestrian advisory committee and, now co sponsored by Ragged Mountain Running Shop, which is lovely. Their, the walk is gonna explore the Greenbrier neighborhood, meeting at CHS at 9AM on
Sunday so that, if there's any heat, we can beat the heat. Good. Yeah. It's about three miles. It's mellow and friendly and easy and just to kind of walk around the neighborhood. My second announcement is, the Charlottesville Commissioner of Revenue, Todd Divers, would like to announce that his office will be once again participating in the annual Commissioners in Cans Food and Fun Drive during the month of August. It's an annual partnership between the Commissioners of Revenue, Association of Virginia and the Federation of Food Banks. It's a statewide event, to take on the fight against food insecurity.
So it's a month long, so please feel free to bring in, food to canned food to the treasurer's Lobby in the First Floor Of City Hall, the hallway outside council chambers up here at Carver Rec and at Key Rec, and Rec. And then you can also go to charlottesville.govfront/c0r for a link to donate. Every dollar helps provide enough food for four meals. So hope you participate in that. Thank you. Yeah. More and more people gonna need those, food assistance with, you know, different programs being
cut back. Are there other announcements? I can't remember if you had one, Michael. So, we are now we'll move on to, proclamations. Let me make sure I have the right page here. To to proclamations. And it is my honor to, recognize someone in the community that really is making a tremendous impact on in in the community. And it is mister Nicholas Fagan. So I think that this is a complete surprise to him. But, he's the type of individuals that we have in our community that are making
an impact doing the things without this type of recognition. And we wanna make sure that, you know, that with his help of his lovely wife, that we let people know that we appreciate the work that they do. So I'm just gonna read some of the, things that he has done in the community. Whereas the city of Charlottesville takes great pride in recognizing individuals whose dedication and service specific specifically empower our community, especially our youth. Nicholas Fagan has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our youth development and community enrichment through
innovative and inclusive programming. And he has created, impactful, just come outside, reading event, reaching out to youth across the, various cities, neighborhood, inspiring a love for reading and literacy. And whereas mister Fagan's has organized a, a beloved and annual community, events including trunk or treat, Thanksgiving gift bags, offering family safe and engaging and joy joyful experiences year after year. In ways, he has coordinated holiday gift drives to ensure local children and families experience
the warmth, of the season. He has provided direct support to young dancers through a generous donation to assist them with travel needs, expanding opportunities, for creating, expressions and achievement. He's cofounder of, Peace in the Streets. He has he's cofounder in, of Happy Saturdays. I mean, I could go on and on. The bottom line is in and then he's he's there to, help and uplift the community when things, you know, are not going as well for things like when we
had the shooting. Nicholas was one of the first ones there to help with the family and and the victims. And these are things that, you know, we never know about, but it's individuals like Nick. If they're not part of the community, this community will look and feel a lot different. And so Nicholas, it's my honor to print for present this proclamation, to you. And we'd like for you to come up, so you can get this. No. Turn around the Okay. See, he's all about community. You're good. So I'll come this way. I'm just a club, a kid from Charlottesville, you know, seeing a lot of people
incarcerated, my friends incarcerated. I just seen a lot of people incarcerated. My friends incarcerated, and just seeing a lot of things coming up. So my my my goal is to keep the kids as growing up from making the same, decisions that some of my friends made and the decisions that I made. So I'm in a better place now. And like I said, I just wanna keep our kids striving towards the right thing. So We appreciate you so much. Thank you so much. We got them good. We got them good. So she's been planning this since April, man.
So and so, it is, now my honor to, recognize an event that's, starting, next week, the Soul of, Seaville, festival, whereas Soul of Seaville is a celebration that honors the rich cultural heritage, vibrant arts, and community spirit that makes Charlottesville unique. And whereas the soul of Charlottesville is in the milestone of its fifth year, we'll bring together residents and visitors alike to enjoy a diverse array of performances, food, award
recognition, economic development opportunities, and the best in black Seaville award ceremony. People have been really voting for that. So looking forward to that. They do scholarships giveaway and, activities that showcase the soul of our of our city. And whereas the soul of of of Seaville is at its essence a community building experience that highlights the contribution of local artists, engaged community members, musicians, and entrepreneurs. It serves as a platform for fostering unity, promoting diversity, and supporting local businesses, with
the 2025 theme, firm planted fiercely flourishing. And whereas the, free family, family free family, friendly, Soul of, Seaville Festivals returned to X Park Art Park on Saturday, August 16, uniting residents and visitors from all backgrounds and walks of life to enjoy live music and performances, fashion shows, black artesian markets,
and local vendors for, local black owned restaurant, community access to the looking glass, immersive art experiences, and more. Therefore, the city of Charlottesville endorses the values and, and cultural, appreciation encouraging the community members to participate in the wide range of solo civil festivities signed this day, 08/04/2025. Good evening, mayor and members of city council.
On behalf of the entire Solasseeville team, thank you so much for the proclamation. It truly means the world to us. When we first launched this event, the goal was simple but powerful, to create space where black excellence, culture, creativity, and joy could be seen, felt, and celebrated right here in Charlottesville. And now to have that work recognized for our fifth anniversary by the city, that's love. This year's theme is firmly planted, fiercely flourishing, and that's exactly what this community has
done. After events such as August 12 and the shooting that you mentioned just in July, there's a lot of things that go on, and we like to take our time to be intentional about using our black joy as resistance. We've laid roots. We've weathered storms, and we continue to grow boldly in every direction with purpose and pride. Special thanks to Mayor Juan Diego Wade and city manager Sam Sanders for not just showing support, but showing up.
We're so excited to have you both presenting during next week's best in black Seaville Awards. And you're right. People are showing up. We had over 5,000 people participate in the nomination and voting process alone. Your presence sends a message that this community matters and that our stories, our brilliance, and our impact are worth celebrating. So, again, thank you for seeing us, honoring us, and standing with us. We're just getting started and trust the Solasseeville is just getting stronger. Thank you so much. Looking forward to it. So happy that we can always start off the meetings with these proclamations and positive
things that are going on in our community. We're now I'm sorry. I actually have one more. Yeah. I know it's not till next month, but put it on your calendars now. Saturday, September 27 is the Loop DeVille, hike, bike, or run, which is a 20 ish mile loop, which I know sounds intimidating, but you have all day to do it, that you started, the, Ravenna River Company area, and you walk all around. You circumnavigate the city on trails.
So you get a great, experience with a bunch of people to, like, explore new outdoor space all within our city limits. There's rest stops along the way, providing snacks and food and drinks. And then at the end, there's a big festival at Ravana River Company with music and, more beverages and food and, just this really good time. So, mark your calendars for September 27 for the Loop DeVille. Yeah. That's great. If we could put that, Sam, on our website, the It's at the website. Yes. That's great. We're now at the point for, community matters.
We have, opportunity for 15 people to speak. We have one person to, that have preregistered and the second one that I've promised to be number two. And then we have, opportunity for 14 others to to speak. And, but there'll be another opportunity at the end of the meeting as well. So the first speaker is, Alicia. Good evening. My name is Alicia Lenahan. I live in the county. I'm in the city on almost a daily basis. And before I say anything, I'd like to congratulate Nick Faggins, for, the recognition he so richly deserves.
So Nick adds a lot of joy to a lot of events. Yes. So I am not here to fight for a political party. I'm here to fight for the democratic process and the stakes could not be higher. We all have to take a stand and that includes the city council. Governor J. B. Pritzker described your role this way. To be in public office right now is to constantly ask yourself, how do I make sure that we're standing on the right side of history? There's a simple answer. The wrong side of history will always tell you to be afraid.
The right side of history will always expect you to be courageous. Expect courage from people around you and it will show up. Expect fear and fear will rule the day. Federal and state judges continue to stand up. State legislators are standing up, including delegate Michael Jones from Richmond. Senators Cain and Warner have introduced a bill barring ICE agents from wearing masks. Let the courage of these leaders be an example to this community and the rest of the country. We continue to be deeply concerned about the aggressive, cruel overreach demonstrated by the federal
administration on a daily basis. Our immigrant and refugee neighbors are the most vulnerable. However, numerous reports and video evidence show that US citizens and immigrants with lawful status have been detained, questioned, or targeted, exacerbating distrust and public safety risks. At your last meeting, we offered a resolution modeled after the one passed by Huntington Park, California, condemns non transparent federal immigration enforcement tactics and affirms our community safety principles. To date, over 600 people have signed the supporting petition.
Use this resolution to state unequivocally that the city council believes that non cooperation must not be confused with inaction and that the Charlottesville police and city staff will proactively work within legal bounds to document, verify, and safeguard against federal overreach. Use this resolution to state unequivocally that the city of Charlottesville is committed to the rule of law, civil rights, and the safety and dignity of all its residents regardless of immigration status. We know you will not make this decision lightly, but you can make it with
absolute moral clarity. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker, sir, would you like yes. Oh, today I'll send it to my Yeah. Take your time. Yeah. Yeah. How y'all doing? Great. I come here in behalf of over that point today Avenue. The incident that happened that night. I was just pulling in from picking up because I got a nonprofit organization that I run food sharing this time. And joy to have y'all to see on Facebook what we do and stuff like
it. We go to, I met him, mister Sanders at the, what was that place? West Haven? Was it No. Last week. Right up here with yeah. Right up here in, Crescent Hall and stuff. We go there, and then we got out set up down at Tarsley Park every Sunday morning at 10:00. Mhmm. And that night that the incident on July 4, I just pulled up around about
nine something, parked the van with the trailer and everything, unload and all that stuff, put stuff away. Went in there, went to bed because I had to get up that Saturday morning and stuff. Next thing I know, I heard the cameras. I I was knocked out. And Mhmm. Girlfriends. Oh, shooting going on. Shooting going on. Police out there and all that. Oh my god. I said, oh, what they done done there? So me, I've been there. I had my cars there. I had a nice car and everything like that. I got rid of it and stuff like that. Reason I got rid of my car because I feel inside of me that fireworks
shooting and everything like that where I be at. Kids, teenagers, and all that stuff. You know, they out there doing their thing, laying on my car. I gotta be had a BMW. Mhmm. They said on my car. One night, I came out there told the guy. I said, look. Either you're gonna get off of it or you're gonna lay there for good. I don't play like that. I don't go in nobody property or nobody cars and settle nobody else stuff. My mom raised me to respect. Show respect, you get respect. But if you don't show me respect and I'm showing you respect and come the
opposite way, then I'm a have to flip on the opposite side. I don't wanna do that. I came a long way. I did a lot of time and everything like that. I turned my life around Yes, sir. On the positive note. I do things for the positive, and I talk to young kids out there and tell them, do I have to do what you're doing? Get a job. Mhmm. Be somebody. Yes. That exactly what my mom said. Be somebody before she close her eyes. And before she close her eyes, I made a good commitment, and that's what I'm
doing, and I've been sticking to it from that day on Yes, sir. And stuff. But it's gotta stop. Yeah. The fact that stuff over there gotta stop. Young kids out there got in crossfire. If my grandkids had went out there, believe me, lord, it's my witness. Y'all wouldn't have to worry about the Charlottesville police find. The man in my family would've find them, and then we would eliminate Thank you, sir. I don't play them. I mean, but the thing is, though, your time is up. Oh, my God.
Yeah. We're gonna get to the situation. Yeah. Well, thank you. Yeah. Tell us your name. Tell us your name. You know my name. John Green. I talked to you good folk. Yeah. John Green. I know. I just wanted to Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, sir. I gotta go. I gotta Alright. Because I need to do some things. Alright. Thank you, sir. I gotta talk. Anyone else like to speak? Yes, sir. Hi there. I'm Louis Desabree, and I'm also here to talk about the fireworks. You know, I went and saw the fireworks in Stanton this year, and I was on my way home. And, you know, my friend, Adisa, called and told me about the shooting and everything
that was going on. They had the road blocked off. And so I went around the other way. I came up seven and a half, and all of a sudden, hundreds of people standing in the middle of the street shooting fireworks. Wouldn't wouldn't stop, you know. And this has been going on for years and years. And so since then, we've been, you know, talking to people in the neighborhood. We started a petition. You know, Fifeville does not want fireworks going off in our neighborhood. You know, it's, just been out of control for so many years, and and we
really want to see it stop. So we've, got this letter here. We, the underside residents of Charlottesville, formally petition our elected officials and law enforcement leadership to uphold and enforce the city's existing prohibition on fireworks as codified in city code chapter 12, article three, section 12 dash 32. This ordinance clearly prohibits possession, sale, discharge, or use of fireworks within city limits, recognizing the serious risks they pose to public safety, property, and community well-being.
However, in recent years, on and around the July 4, there's been a significant increase in the use of illegal fireworks across several neighborhoods, including Orange Hill Avenue and adjacent areas. Despite the clear legal restrictions, enforcement has been inconsistent, leaving residents to contend with excessive noise, fire hazards, risk to personal safety and property in this densely populated and historically underserved area. We are deeply concerned that this lack of enforcement not only undermines community trust in
public safety institutions, but also places an unfair burden on residents who must navigate the consequences of these illegal and dangerous activities on their own. Accordingly, we respectfully request the following, a public acknowledgment from city leadership affirming a commitment to enforcing city code 12 dash 32, a plan to allocate additional police patrols on and around the July 4, active ticketing of offenders and confiscation of illegal fireworks, ongoing
community outreach and communication in advance of the holiday period, reminding residents of the fireworks ban and associated penalties, and a post holiday report summarizing enforcement actions taken and outcomes observed. We believe that through proactive Thank you very much. Can we get a copy of that letter? Is it Yeah. Thank you very much. Can we get a copy of that letter? Or is it just something We have, copies for everybody here. Thank you so much. Would anyone else like to I'll speak if you give it to the clerk there.
Thank you. Yes. Hi. Hello. My name is Sedissa Fivich. I live in the Orangetale nineteen years. Every year, we have a fireworks. Fireworks is now little in the Charlottesville, but I have a concern about my neighbors and my neighborhood because we have damaged housing, damaged car. People was, you know, they have it shooting, you know, all the time. It's a place there, And I'm hoping they are can help us with that, resolve
this issue in our neighborhood. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your help. Would anyone else like to yes. Howdy, everyone. Movin DeSampol, 608 Cabell Avenue. I'm here speaking on a much less urgent topic than what previous speakers have been talking about. The slip lanes on Preston gotta go, folks. They gotta go. Slip lanes are the ones that if you are coming in straight but want to make a right turn, you get this little protected thing that makes it so so that you can just go right. The slip lanes on Preston and the Ridge McIntyre Intersection, I cannot tell you how
many people I have almost seen hit by a car or when they're biking crossing across those things. I saw recently that the city put up stop signs instead of the yield signs that had been there previously. I strongly encourage you to go take a look. The cars do not care. They are paying absolutely zero attention to it. At the end of the day, cars do not pay much attention to road rules, to speed limits, to stop signs. They pay attention to the structure of the road. If the structure of the road tells them they can go fast, they will. If the structure of the road says, oh, you just need to be looking to
the left here to see wait until a car is not coming so that you can come in, they will go the moment that happens. And then only afterwards, turn forward and see, oh, no. A pedestrian has emerged in front of me. Genuinely, it has happened to me personally three separate times that I've had to jump back on the crosswalk. Now that I'm biking a lot more, there's this big problem where the bike lane ends when you're going towards the Downtown Mall. You hit Fourth Street, and then the bike lane just suddenly ends. And if you want to continue going straight, you need to cross diagonally across a
lane of traffic with cars merging right into you so that you can avoid just, like, being forced outwards onto Ridge McIntyre and continue traveling in the direction of the mall. Slip lanes are a thing that makes, like, a a small amount of sense on really major highways. It makes sense to have these on things like 20 9, for example. The pedestrian mall is probably one of the most heavily foot traffic places in the state. The idea that we are having these extremely, like, car centric infrastructure developments right next
to it is, just terminally car brand. We gotta get rid of them. There's just no way. The stop signs are not doing anything. So if you want to solve this problem, you could turn them into protected, things, which would basically mean turning that lane into a bike lane. That would be a cute thing to do. Anyway, thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'll be I'll I'll check that out. So thank you. Would anyone else like to speak at this time? There'll be another opportunity at the end. So, if I don't see anyone, I will close the public matters for this point,
and we'll now go to the consent agenda. Consent agenda. Number two, minutes. June 16 regular meeting. Number three, resolution to appropriate additional funds for Emmett Street Corridor Streetscape Project, $1,436,519 second reading. Number four, resolution appropriating $60,000 for Virginia Department of Education, special nutrition program, summer food service program. One of two readings. Can I get a motion to approve? So moved.
And second. Are we voting? Uh-huh. Good job, team. Yeah. Sneaking up on it. So next on agenda is the, City Manager's Report. Yes. Good evening, Council and members of the public. Two parts to, tonight's City Manager's Report. Bill Moyer with, Ravenna Authorities will be presenting an update on the central water line project. It's been a, much talked about, project that we are close to having ready to get started. So he's gonna give you an update, and then I'll give a few, general updates
for the public after that. Thank you, mister Mayer, members of the council, mister Sanders, miss Cena. Keina. Keina. I'm sorry. Okay. So I appreciate the opportunity to talk a little bit about, what we call the central waterline construction project that's gonna be in the city. This is a picture at the top right there of, work we have currently going on on Hereford Drive at Observatory Mountain. So it's just up the hill from Stadium Road, and we're putting in a 36 inch pipe right there, similar to what we're we're gonna be doing on the central
water line. Okay. So, generally, just as a reminder, the central water line is gonna be about five miles of large piping, 24 inch and 30 inch drinking water piping, installed throughout the city. And in addition, we have a little over half a mile of water piping, drinking water piping that we're gonna install for the city utility department. And most these pipes are gonna be installed primarily under the streets. We expect construction to start around October. The, contractor has ordered pipe and that's the delivery date he's getting is October.
The total price is gonna cost around $79,000,000 the funding formula is 48% of that is shared by the city utility department and 52% by the Albemarle County Service Authority. We're gonna have a community information meeting about this project on September 16 at the Carver Recreation Center, and we'll send out notices and invitations for people to attend that. Can you say that just one more time? Yes, ma'am. Thank you. We're gonna have a community information meeting on September 16, from five to 06:30PM at
the Carver Recreation Center. And we'll tell the community about this project. They've heard about it a couple of years ago as we were planning it, but now that we're ready to go construction, we wanted to give them more details. So the the purpose of the project is really to help us move drinking water more effectively through our drinking water system. And and it to make it analog analogous to traffic, this is gonna be like an interstate highway running through the city, major big pipes to get water through the
city and out to the county, especially between our Observatory Mountain Water Treatment Plant and the Pantops tank, which is on Pan Tops Mountain. It it also helps us to, utilize the full 10,000,000 gallons per day production capacity that we recently spent about $25,000,000 creating, in the Observatory Mountain Water Treatment Plant. So right now, we have a pipe restriction below the plant, and we're gonna alleviate that with this larger piping.
And this project goes back, oh, about thirty eight years to 1987. At the time, it was called the Southern Loop Agreement Project. And it was envisioned that this pipe would be installed near Interstate 64 around the southern side of the city. But we did a study and, in cooperation with your utility department, and we determined that it was much more beneficial to have this pipe installed throughout the city, closer to the heart of where the demand is.
And we brought the the project to, to this council in 2022 and showed you five different routes. And council approved what we call the southern route, which is primarily on Cherry Avenue. And that was also approved by our board and the Albemarle County Service Authority board. So this is the the route that we plan. So we we're gonna connect on, Stadium Road near Observatory Mountain and come across Lewis Street and under the railroad track, Jefferson Park Avenue, Cleveland Avenue, and then we go
towards the east on Cherry Avenue. The red line is what we're calling the first phase. The blue line we're going to do a little bit later, and I'll tell you why in just a second. But, the blue dots that you see, five blue dots on the red line, those are locations where we're going to interconnect with the city's current drinking water system to help your distribution system. So the first phase is four miles of drinking water piping. In addition, we have, several 100 feet of drinking water piping we're going to install
for, your city utility department. And, we have awarded a construction contract to Segris Construction out of Alexandria. The total budget's about $58,000,000 to put in those four miles of twenty four and thirty inches piping. And again, they expect to start work around October and be finished in about four years. The second phase is the purple line that you can see there. Originally, we were going to do this project as one phase. But when we, worked with City Utilities and looked underground on East High Street, we
found that there were so many pipes and and, utilities in the ground there that we could not fit our large pipe in East High Street. So that's why we segregated that one mile section of this project into what we're calling phase two, and we're still designing that. But that will follow the purple line, down Little High Street and, Fairway Avenue, and And then, presumably, come across a city owned property near the Ravana River. That's the purple line. And then it goes back up to East High Street and connects near the Long
Street Bridge. The blue line in East High Street, again, is a city water line that we're gonna construct on behalf of the city. And the green line is, is a short run of water that we're gonna construct for the Albemarle County Service Authority and kinda get all the water line, work done right there in one project. We we envision that that project's gonna cost about $21,000,000 And again, the city utility department is allocated 48% of that cost with the Albemarle County Service Authority, 52%.
And if all goes as planned, we would, really do we'd be working on both of these phases concurrently starting around May. The city will be asked to provide easements for the line on, your your parcels near the river as well the green line with the Albemarle County Service Authority. So the big picture is this whole, project and several projects are to increase the water supply for our community. And this traces back to 2002 with the last historic drought.
And our community was very concerned it was gonna run out of water. There was anecdotal comments of having to close the university and send the students home because there wasn't enough water. And so the community in 2012 crafted a plan to build a new dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir. And in order to fill the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, we have to pipe water to it. Currently, we pipe it from Sugar Hollow Reservoir. But this plan, we'll build the purple line, from the South Ravana Reservoir. And we will pump water to Ragged Mountain and keep it full.
The brown line is a new pipeline that we would be able to convey untreated water from the Ragged Mountain Reservoir to the Observatory Treatment Plant. That's under construction right now. That red section of pipe is right beside Birdwood Golf Course. That's already been installed. That was put in six years ago when the foundation, UVA Foundation, was remodeling the golf course. We found out to be a strategic time not to, to put in our pipes so we didn't have to come back later and damage any of their work. The, central water line is the blue line, threading its way through the city.
So that is under construction, and we plan to bid the purple line from South Urbana to Ragged around September and hopefully get that awarded this fall. And we will have 15 to 20 miles of major water piping under construction in the community with the whole intent that we can we're gonna add 700,000,000 gallons to the Raggedy Road reservoir and increase our community's water supply to about 3,300,000,000 gallons. That sounds like a huge amount, but we use over 10,000,000 gallons a day.
So, when you divide by 10,000,000, the number of days are are not that plentiful. But, we feel like this will put us in a good position to have an an adequate water supply for many years, for our community. And that totals about $275,000,000 with an allocation to the service authority and the city utility department. And again, we're gonna have the community information meeting on September 16 from five to 06:30 at the Carver Recreation Center. I have some pictures of an ongoing project, if you're interested.
If not, that's I thought I did. That's the end of, my presentation. Well I'm sorry. Well, that gets looked for. Can you go over those numbers you said right at the end? 700,000,000 will be added? To Ragged Mountain Reservoir. And will that be 700,000,000 just from, the South Ravenna or total from both Sugar Hollow and South Ravenna? We're gonna discontinue use of the Sugar Hollow pipe that's about 100 years old. And, so that's gonna be put out of service. Now, the Sugar Hollow flows through the Mormons River to the South Ravenna Reservoir.
So in effect, we're still getting water from Sugar Hollow, but we're gonna pipe it from the Ravenna Reservoir to Ragged Mountain. And what this is gonna allow us to do is to use both our Observatory Treatment Plant and our South Ravenna Water Treatment Plant. We can provide water from either the South Ravenna Reservoir or the Observatory or the Ragged Mountain Reservoir to either of those water treatment plants. So you may know that the, Charlottesville Airport is not far from the Ravenna Reservoir
as a crow flies. And, a number of the, scenarios we train with is what what would happen if a plane crashed into the South Ravenna Reservoir, if it hit the dam, if it hit the water treatment plant. And that would be catastrophic as we stand right now. And it will be in the future should it ever happen also. But when we interconnect the Ravenna Reservoir with the Ragged Mountain Reservoir and thereby the Ravenna Water Treatment Plant with the Observatory Treatment Plant, we would still be able to provide water to the community, even if we had a problem at at either of
the two low locations. So it it's a tremendous flexibility that it will give us. Thank you. And then you you said there's 300 threes how many billions something? Million? Oh, gallons? Yeah. We would have in total 3,300,000,000 gallons. We'll have 2,100,000,000 gallons at Ragged Mountain. We'll have over about 900,000,000 gallons in the Ravenna Reservoir, and, about 350,000,000 gallons in the Sugar Hollow Reservoir. And they'll be connect they'll be inter interconnected.
Great. And, thank you. I just wanna make sure I had those numbers right in my notes. And then the phase two construction that would go down a little high and and need, how is that how is that done? Like, how long will the roads be disturbed as it like, is it this block and then we cover it up, and then this block and then we cover it up? So Yes, ma'am. Generally, we we've limited our contractor to 100 feet that he can, trench and open, and then he's gotta install that pipe and and and, fill backfill on top of
the pipe and get it in a condition that it can be used. Now all the paving might not happen exactly by the 100 feet, but, yes, we're not gonna let him, disturb a mile of piping and and inconvenience to everyone that way. So the the it'll be a rolling worksite that will move down the street, and they'll be generally substantially complete behind them as they move on. And they're going to start at the Lewis Road, Observatory Mountain end, and then work
towards, Longstreet. Got it. Okay. Thank you. Over about four years. Thank you. Michael, do you have any questions? Yeah. So, you know, I'm fully aware, you know, there's the larger context of the community water supply plan, and that has a long history of its own. I do think, to my memory, this is the most significant infrastructure project this in my time on council, the city's done just in terms of the geographic extent, the scale of disturbance, the time period of that disturbance. So I think it is legitimate for the public to question it and want answer
to certain things. Sure. Could you walk through a little bit more just in terms of what it practically on the ground looks like for when this project gets to a specific road, how deep you're digging, the type of work that will be going on, as well as I know you're going you know, how long is each 100 feet gonna take? How long should someone expect a road closure in a certain area? We're gonna hope a 100 feet will take more or less five working days. Right now, in in a similar project on Hereford Drive, they've been making about 20
feet a day of progress when they've had some rock. And that's, that's a common issue in our community that when we the trench is going to be about 10 feet deep. And so, they're going to have a surveyor to lay it out on the street and put lines on the street to know exactly where we want our pipe to go. And we identify all the existing utilities that are already there to make sure we don't conflict with them. And then, they'll saw cut the asphalt on the lines that the surveyor laid out.
And they'll start excavating, probably about a three or four foot trench. If there's rock, they have a drilling machines. I'm sorry I can't show you the the photos. Actually I sent them to all of you today on an email. But it showed the, drilling machine that, the contractor used in Herpet Drive. So, he did what what they call honeycombing. He drills a number of holes, to to break up the rock and then they come back with a what they call a a a hoe ram and they bang like a jackhammer.
And they bang on the rock and that's the rock from the trench, if there is any rock. Because, as you may know, there's no blasting allowed in the city without council's approval. So we've told our contractor no blasting. In addition, there are gas lines and other lines in the streets that we would want to blast around anyway. So, so they will excavate the top portion of the trench and go all the way down 10 feet. If there's rock, then they'll work to excavate the rock. They put in metal trench boxes for safety purposes.
And then, they pick up the big it'll be 36, three foot diameter pipe, 20 feet long. They extend it into the trench box. They get their men in the trench box and they make the connections. And then, they just move along and drag the trench box with them. As they get one section finished, they drag forward to the next. And where we have existing utilities, some residences, sewer laterals have been had been a discussion point. Sewer laterals to make sure, lateral pipes, that they don't damage them.
If they did do damage them, they have to repair them. So, we're trying to be protective of your citizens and their sewer lines or water lines, anything that might be along the same path under the street. So then so one, it sounds like this is a case, but to be clear, you know, there's no plan to come to city council requesting blasting as part of this project? That's correct. No plan to. Uh-huh. I mean, we've told our contractor he's not allowed to blast. Mhmm. But, you know, just as a fact of the project, you know, it sounds like
depending on the specific site conditions, the specific road, you know, people should expect there could be roads that are closed for a pretty significant amount of time depending on, again, site conditions. One lane likely of a street. We're gonna keep the streets open at all times, and we're gonna get, any residents access to their home or, the mailman or any kind of emergency vehicle. We will always provide access to all the residences or businesses in the area.
But it will be a moving, one lane, stoppage as they're doing that work. But they'll have probably flag men on both sides and and letting traffic through. If it's four lanes, maybe like JPA, we may divert traffic to the other side. So we work with the city traffic engineer to, set up those traffic management plans. And so when they get the pipe done, then they fill it up on top with the stone and they, measure the compaction to make sure it's properly compacted. And then the last, they test the pipe.
We fill it with water and test to make sure it's not leaking. And when they've confirmed that, then then we would pave the, repave the asphalt. Right. And I hear that. That totally makes sense, you know, in my mind. It's no not trying to cast any negative light or intention, but in my mind, you know, there have been times in the past where the city has put out a similar intent, and there are situations where for a specific business or a specific residence, the specific way it impacted their business or their ability to access their property
did have an unintended consequence. Mhmm. What is the plan for, if any, if there's a local business and there are local businesses along this route who for whatever site conditions their business functionally in terms of the main way People's vehicular traffic gets to it, you know, reduces their business by 50%, something like that. And we've had that situation happen in the past with some companies. Well, we will we'll coordinate with every business that we get to and try to, strategize a time when maybe they either have less business or they're closed or in
the evening that we can do our work and not impact them any more than necessary. And otherwise, when we if if they don't have any unforeseen problems getting the pipe in, we'll have a good estimation of how long we're gonna be at that site and try to accommodate their access and other business needs as best as best we can. And I know you have the community meeting, coming up. I know that, you know, your board meetings are public and people can watch them. They are public record. As a fact, significant parts of this route, you know, are low income working class
communities. There are also local businesses along the route. It's at least a four year project. It's very extensive. What is the plan for reaching some of those communities to let them know? Because I have a strong sense a lot of people and businesses on that route may not be aware of how extensive this project is in terms of being four, potentially, more years and just the scale of the disruption. I mean, even just from a construction noise perspective Yes, sir. It will impact people's Yes, sir. With the box. There's no question. And we'll do our best to minimize it, but there'll be some impact.
We're going to, not only have our community meeting, whether at the one meeting, but we may have multiple meetings as we get closer and closer to certain neighborhoods. When we were planning the project back in 2022, we had virtual meetings with all the neighborhoods, the Sprite Springs and and, on Cherry Avenue and Little High. We had meetings with them online. And we would, have letters and and virtual meetings, or we can have in person meetings with them as we get to their neighborhood.
And we can say more specifically, we will be at your neighborhood in about two weeks, and we're gonna be there for four weeks. So they have specific information because it is a four year project. So we don't want to say, everyone, we're going to be in your neighborhood on day one. No, that's not going to be the case. And so we're hopeful that the contractor is going to make rapid progress. The weather cooperates. The the rock is minimal, but we'll have to take it day by day. But we're gonna do our best. We we hired a communication coordinator in the past year and, one of his primary
jobs is making sure that we're communicating with the neighborhoods along the route of this project. Mhmm. Just a few other questions, you know, as it relates to part of it, you know, is gonna go through a city owned parcel that, the exact future of it is not yet determined. Significant portions are are functionally used as a de facto park at this point. Mhmm. What is the impact gonna be there in terms of the city granting an easement? What is the scale of the number of feet that would have to be clear cut? Can there be planting after that? Because this is gonna be a disturbance when I look look at it, areas that
are de facto used as a public park in the city. Well, we allow certain smaller trees and vegetation to be, to grow in our easement. We do try to keep our easements generally clear clear case we would have a water break so we can get in and fix it. But, you know, short of oak trees and things like that, we wouldn't want those to be planted on top of the pipe in the easement should it be granted. And we will coordinate with you, utility department and parks department to try to accommodate how they wanted to use the facility and the property, while we're there.
The underground part will be transparent. No one will know the pipe is there. And it is an issue of the vegetation. Not you couldn't build a structure on top of the our pipe in the easement and you couldn't plant large not trees in the easement. But otherwise, it would be, you could use it as you preferred. Yeah. I mean, I know we've discussed it a little bit, but, you know, I definitely would be curious to learn more about the details of that. I mean, to have, you know, a pretty significant impact in terms of the construction and the easement on, you know, property that the city sent, you know, not in
not not insignificant amount of money on and that the future is not determined for yet. I don't know. To me, seems worthy of perhaps a little bit more information. At least I'm curious. Yes, sir. Oh, yes. I know, miss Hildebrand is is planning some information, I think, for the council. And I'll be glad to work with her on that. And the the final question is just and, obviously, I'm not on the Art of State Board, so, you know, I'm not I've not been involved in all the intimate details of the project's development. But from, you know, the updates I've seen, the complexity of this project has changed
significantly, I mean, in terms of, like, the scale of the kind of, digging that you're going to need to do, some of the things that have come up. How confident are you that these timelines and cost figures are actually gonna be accurate? Because, I mean, those are if my memory is, like, correct, like, fairly in line with where this project was before all this additional complexity. We're pretty confident in the cost now because, the phase one we've already bid and that's 80% of the whole project. So we're pretty comfortable with the 79,000,000.
We we'll hope that by the end of the project, we'll be under that. But, as far as the timeline, you know, we we check references on our contractors. In fact, the the low bidder on that project, we did not award the contract to him because he did not fully meet the experience requirements that we had in our contract. And, so we did not award to the low bidder with that very concern that we want qualified, experienced contractors. And this particular contractor, Seguers Construction from Alexandria, has done a lot of work around
Washington and Baltimore. And they are, very experienced contractor. So we have a positive high hope that they're gonna do well for us. Mhmm. And, you know, finally, even if things stick to the cost, I mean, this is about $300,000,000 of capital projects coming up. What should people expect in terms of the scale of rate increases that will be coming along from that? Well, your utility department works with council to translate our charges into their retail rates. Clearly, we're a large component of the city utilities budget as we are with the
Albemarle County Service Authority budget. So it wouldn't be hard to say that it will it could generate some rate increases with the magnitude, your utility department would have to comment on that. Yeah. And I know these capital projects aren't the only driver, but if my memory is correct over, you know, a several year period, you know, it's reached a point where, you know, people's bills could increase by a couple $100 annually. So it is not insignificant in terms of having a real impact on people's budgets. I'll end there. And I'll just also end by saying I fully understand there is a larger conversation
about the community water supply plan with its own history. But I do think the scale in my time on council, this is the biggest infrastructure project in terms of geographic scope when you combine with the scale of the kind of disturbance that there's gonna be. I know in the past, I mean, the city has made mistakes in terms of our projects negatively impacting, a specific homeowner or business in a way that we didn't anticipate. And with just this being a four plus year project in the geographic scope, I would be shocked if things like that don't come up. So I'm just very concerned about what plan we have in place ahead of time
to deal with those kind of things. Because again, when I just see the scale and scope, I would be shocked if unanticipated consequences do not come up. We're working underground, and we don't know what we're gonna find until we open that trench. But, we're hoping it's work as normal. And we have expert crew and a contractor that we're going to focus on and do our best to mitigate any any issues that come up. So it is a large construction program. No question about that. 15 to 20 miles of piping through the community is huge of this large piping.
So, but the bottom line is when we're finished, we're going to have, a secure community as far as our water supply for not only our existing residents, but future residents and businesses coming to the area. And and frequently, one of the first questions they ask is do you have the water to to serve our business? So we wanna make sure we have that. All in there for now. Thank you. Thank you. Go ahead. Do you have a good So, my question is, so, from what you said is, it's gonna take about four years Yes, sir.
To do this about a four mile project. So is that normal about a a mile a year, or is it more or less because of the, terrain and, you know Well, we're trying to be conservative and, you know, not not say it's gonna be two years and take four. So, we we try to give the contractor adequate time. We're gonna monitor his progress as he gets going and hopefully see him make more progress than 20 feet a day. And, and hopefully, he'll finish. That is not a that's a maximum amount of time, not a not a minimum.
He if he if he works hard and has good fortune, he can finish And however many years he takes, less than four. So that will be our hope. But, but that's what the contract allows him is four years. It is a lot of work. It's big pipe. And, even taken almost six months when they order the pipe to get the pipe. So it's not readily available equipment. And they have the pipe for the whole project. It's not like they'll get halfway through and it's a delay. I don't know that for sure.
I'm not sure they're gonna buy four miles of pipe at one time. They've hopefully contract for it because they it's a fixed price bid, so they've obligated themselves to the price. So if I were them, I would obligate the full purchase. Yeah. Now whether they'll have it, intermittently shipped to us, probably not, unless they find a pretty big yard to to store that much pipe. Yeah. And my last kinda comment is that the person you're to, outreach person that you've hired within the last year, I recommended he work closely with, Affton and our staff
who have regular contacts with neighborhood associations and and people in the community that he or, they won't have to reinvent the wheel. Yes, sir. And they may be coming from some, a source that they know. Yes, sir. We'll do what we can up here as well. Thank you so much, and I'll be glad to come back in a few months and give you another update. Thank you very much. Thank you. Alright. Additional items that I have just for general public consumption. Let's see. I wanna thank, both police and fire for hosting me on ride alongs this summer.
I had a very interesting time with some of our professional public safety team members. Learned a lot, appreciate what they do for the community, and definitely got a taste of detention of their jobs. So I'm glad they do the work, not me. So definitely want to thank them for how they serve the community. We also celebrated, adding the bus stop at Midway Manor last week. There was a big moment. Just wanna acknowledge miss, Mary Carey for her steadfast advocacy and persistent reminders that we owed her that bus stop for the residents at Midway Manor, and we finally delivered. So I'll give a high five to my team for handling the pokes and prods
and how I did everything I could to make sure that happened as soon as possible. And also just acknowledging a few events that have happened. KF had their graduation last week. It's a great opportunity at, PVCC to celebrate those young people for their summer work experience. West Haven Community Day on Saturday was well attended. Definitely saw a lot of city staff and a number of you out there as well, Mayor, in the Don Tank. Yeah. Thank you for taking that, hit for us. And they, Ting, back to school pavilion, the Ting Pavilion back to school bash last, on Friday also was well attended.
Just have reminders for the public as well that the, their back to school bash at the Boys and Girls Club will be on Sunday from eleven to three, and the Tonsilor championship game and block party will be held on Sunday from five to nine. So those are two big events, this weekend. And lastly, as a reminder, as kids return to school next week, the speed cameras that we install at the end of the school year will be on. We will be ticketing. You will be paying. If you speed, do not get caught. Slow down. So on behalf of the children and our crossing guards, please slow down as our
kids return to school. That's my report. Thank you. Before we move on to the action items that, the crew that came here from, Prospect to talk about that. We really appreciate your comments, and we're gonna review the letter and talk to staff, and we'll get back in touch with you. So, I just want I meant to tell the mention that after you you spoke. So, thank you all again for coming out. We're now at the item, on the agenda for action items.
And the first, item is a public hearing and resolution appropriating funds for federal transit operation and capital, grants. Six point there's a lot of six there. 6.66. $6,666,809. So it's the second reading of mister Williams. And not a penny more. Not a penny more. Yes. Good afternoon, mayor, council. Tonight, I'm asking that, I have a resolution in front of you, and then we'll
have a public hearing. The resolution is to appropriate the $6,666,809. That breaks down to $3,145,636 for capital that purchased six, diesel buses. They are all, operational now and are en route. We also, are accepting want to accept and appropriate, operating dollars in the amount of 3,000,519, thousand 374 that breaks down, there's a breakdown of that those of that appropriation.
75% of that dollars, comes to CAT. 25% goes to Jaunt. That breaks down to $2,640,880 to CAT and 888 $880,293, to Jaunt, and that's for operators operational expenses, asking that, you, appropriate the accept and appropriate those funds. Great. So before I open up the public hearing, I'll see if there are any questions
or comments from counsel. So just to clarify, this is pass through money from the FTA? This is pass through money. And do For John, it's pass through. Got it. And do for the pass through money, do they, do they tell us it goes here, or do they give us money and we decide where it goes? So on the capital, we have to submit an application and tell them specifically what we're gonna use the purposes for. On the operating side, it's already, we spell out the the, categories by which we
will use it. So on the operating side, it's, it's re mostly reimbursements for, salaries, that we're using the the operating dollars for. On the joint side of the money, because does our ADA pair of transit service, that is basically what the 800,000 $880,000 is used for. So it's used to offset the total expenses. Got it. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Michael, let you. Yeah. I guess, similarly, I mean, essentially, not that it doesn't make it important, but this is money to fund what Cat's already doing, not do new things.
That's correct. Lloyd? No problem. So, thank you. I will now open up the public hearing. Did anyone from the public want to, speak on this matter? If not, I will close the public hearing and, consider a motion. I make a motion to adopt the attached resolution appropriating $6,666,809 in transit grant funding for f y twenty five. Second. Second. All in, favor, please. I need to keep mines Suspense.
Yeah. It tells me I'm recorded. I know. Oh, you said don't have There we go. Okay. We're already great. We'll we'll we'll get it. We're doing it. Yes. So thank you. The next item on the agenda is a resolution for, thank you, mister Williams. The next item is a resolution for an extension of the Charlottesville supplemental rental assistant program, seventh grant amendment, with the Charlottesville Redevelopment Housing Authority, to 12/15/2025, allowing for eligible, and applicable use of carry forward FY, 25 c scrap, undrawn funds in an amount
not to exceed, $238,729.30. Yes. Just that brief, resolution. Yes. So and good evening. Thank you, councilors, mayor, and city manager. I'm Madeline Wetzler, the housing compliance coordinator for, Neighborhood Development Services. And tonight, I'm presenting as mayor Wade has, start by explaining what CSREP is and
I'll start by explaining what CSREP is and providing an update, on its performance for this for fiscal year 2025, and then I'll discuss our recommendations for, future the future of the program and the actions we are seeking from you this evening. CSRAP was launched in 2018 to supplement, the Federal voucher program recognizing that the need in our community for rental assistance far exceeds the federal funding for those vouchers and the program is a joint partnership between the city and the Charlottesville Redevelopment Housing Authority,
CRHA, which administers the program. The City allocates funding each year for CSRAP through its annual budget and upon the approval we can extend the agreement for an additional year. In FY '25, CSTRAP supported 71 households. This was an increase in, reach from the previous year. This time last year the, program was serving 62 households, and those 71 households include 89 adults and 94 children. Participants must first look for housing within the city, if they're unable to do that
or find suitable housing within a, participants currently reside. The program is limited to, households that earn 60% or less of the area median income, but currently all of the program participants are at 30% or less of AMI. And on average, in the past year, participants monthly rent was $1,398 and the assistance
was providing on average $974 per month, which covers about 70% of the monthly rent. Now typically along with this, update on the program, staff prepares a subsequent grant, amendment to continue the program for an additional year, but this year we are proposing a slightly different timeline to, include plans for program improvements. We propose extending the current seventh grant amendment to 12/15/2025. This will allow us time to draft the next eighth grant amendment with proposed preliminary
changes to the program. These may include, adjustments to participant eligibility and tenure, the funding request process, and the allocation for administrative costs. Importantly, we also have the necessary funds to maintain program operations during this period with no additional allocation or appropriation required. And in addition to drafting these revisions, the City Step will also collaborate with CRHA to develop a work plan for a comprehensive program evaluation. This will, in that time, we'll also plan to explore, funding opportunities for software implementation
and licensing costs. CRHA is already using a software platform for many of its other programs, and if it was used for c CSREP as well, this would enhance and streamline program administration. And as I mentioned, this extension will ensure that the program can continue operating without interruption while we complete the work I've just described and hopefully ensuring continued, funding and program operations into the future. Now the agenda packet in front of you does not contain the resolution, it has
been there is the agreement extension itself and a resolution that corresponds to that has been drafted and approved by the city attorney, but it didn't make it into the packet. So tonight, we're requesting, both the authorization to create a resolution and approval of said resolution for the extension of the seventh C strap grant amendment. And I'm here to answer any questions along with CRHA executive director John Sales, if you need any further information. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Lloyd, do you have any questions on this? I have no questions. Michael? No. I mean, to me, it makes sense. Yeah. Especially given, you know, for my recollection, it's been, you know, a routine every every year that money from c swap has been reallocated to other purposes, which is fine. You know, it's still been put to good use, but, I don't know if that's what sparked it. But to me, it's part of why it may make sense to do this. So clarify what are we voting on then if there's not a resolute? We're voting to authorize The creation of the resolution and approval of the resolution, that
does exist, but it's not here in front of you. My apologies. So you you have it. It just didn't make it to back at some middle time. That's right. Yeah. So if the do you have any questions, Natalie? Or Just we've we've discussed it, and the resolution will basically mirror the agreement that's already in the packet. Yeah. It just formalizes what we've been adding. It's just in the format of a resolution. Got it. And the money's already been allocated. We're just shifting where it's going within the program. We're not really even shifting where it's going. There's still funding available there.
Counselor Payne, to your point, there usually is some funding left at the end of the program year that has once once or twice been used for other purposes, but is usually just carried forward into the next year. It's a program where we don't, you know, want the balance to go to zero, so there is usually a carry forward balance. And this will still, not risk putting, the reserves. They'll still be there as well, but there is enough funding based on our calculations to get us through to December. Great. Yeah. Well, I'd be happy to move approval of the resolution to create a resolution as
presented by staff tonight. Yeah. Is what is this not the resolution? Or is that's the That was the resolution for the seventh grant. Oh, amendment. Yeah. That was kind of part of the Sorry. I should have thought here. Yeah. So, move prop I'll second. Second. So, any further discussion? If not, can we vote? Thank you, miss Metzler. Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Yeah. That, now we're at the part four. The second part for community matters. Would anyone like to, speak?
If not, with no further business, is there a motion to adjourn? I move to adjourn. Okay. Do we vote electronically on that? Okay. I think second. The second? I'm all in favor. Stand up. I'm sorry. Thank you. Have a nice evening, everyone.