County Collects Opinions on Uses for Old Crozet Elementary
Transcription
County Collects Opinions on Uses for Old Crozet Elementary
INSIDE the Ruritan Scholarship page 3 Shenandoah National Park page 5 Rockfish VFD Fundraiser page 7 CCC Camp Remembered page 8 Kitchen Gardening page 9 Truckies page 11 Bike Safety page 12 Dry Drowning page 14 HedgeHog Flowers page 15 How to Connect page 16 TRiathlon page 17 Gators page 18 Graceworks page 22 Crozet Book Club Library Steering Committee page 23 crozetgazette.com JUly 2008 VOL. 3, NO. 2 Greenwood Group Works to Establish Rural Historic District By Kathy Johnson Many residents and landowners in the Greenwood/Afton area are finding common ground in their love for the history of the area, the land itself and the preservation of the many fine old homes located here. In the spring of 2007, the Greenwood Rural Historical District Committee submitted what is called a Preliminary Information Form (PIF) to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, for the purpose of determining eligibility and recognition of a unique Virginia historic area of Albemarle and Nelson Counties. That PIF has been approved and the committee has been invited to submit a nomination for the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. As it was presented, the PIF covers the land from Yancey Mills to Rockfish continued on page 21 County Collects Opinions on Uses for Old Crozet Elementary About 30 people showed up at the Western Albemarle High School cafeteria June 19 for the first of three days of meetings on what use should be made of the old Crozet elementary school since it has been vacated by the Charlottesville Waldorf School. Architects with the Newport News consulting firm PMA Planners and Architects, which will produce a report on plausible options and their ballpark costs, noted that the school might be eligible for an historic register. Built in 1924, the school sits on two parcels totaling eight acres and was added onto in the 1960s. It is within the boundaries of the proposed Crozet historic district. Ideas were collected on large sheets of paper, those were hung on the wall continued on page 20 Peachtree All-Stars Head for the State Tournament WAHS Class of 2008 pages 24–26 Rowers page 27 By Nick Ward Scouting News page 28–29 After defeating Fluvanna County 10 to 9, Madison County 10 to 3, and Greene County 3 to 0, Crozet’s Peachtree 10-and-under All-Stars found themselves in the District 5 championship game. The District tournament is played under a double-elimination format, so because of the dominance that the Peachtree team showed early in the brackets, to lose the championship Peachtree would have to be beaten twice in a row by the same Fluvanna team that they already defeated. Peachtree was the home team for the first of two games against Fluvanna to decide who moved onto the Home on Faith page 32 crossword page 33 Heart of Crozet page 36 Fluvanna took out the Peachtree All-Stars in their first game, but not the second. continued on page 10 Crozet gazette page 2 s JUly 2008 from the Editor The School Is a School It’s astonishing to watch people ruminate about what a building that has been a school since 1924 should be used for. Old Crozet elementary school was designed to be a school, was used as a school a short year ago and, especially for reasons of economy, should continue to be a school. In the Crozet Master Plan, County officials assumed that some 20 or so acres in the eastern section of town would be proffered as a school site by some unidentified developer as part of a conjectured rezoning seeking a higher density. The owners of one of the two most likely parcels for that to happen on, in fact the strongest candidate, meanwhile decided to proceed as a by-right project, to be called Foothill Crossing. So, no school will happen there. Buying land somewhere in the Crozet growth area and building a new school will cost millions, probably on the order of $20 million at least. Renovating the old school and putting the upper grades there, since they are the ones most likely to be sensible about crossing the street, would allow the single administration of a fairly large student body that nonetheless has the experience of being in a smaller school(s). Even with a gym or cafeteria added to the old school, the cost would be substantially less. The government does not have a magic piggybank. It’s either being efficient or wasteful with your money, which you would otherwise spend in ways important to you. Crozet Elementary went through a redistricting last year and will do it again next year. Redistrictings are sometimes necessary, but if it’s happened to your kids, you know you’d prefer that it did not. The school’s traditional attendance boundary extends north into Browns Cove and beyond and a bigger capacity school would allow those long allegiances to endure, at least for a while longer. It was shameful that kids from White Hall were shifted to Meriwether Lewis Elementary last year at huge inconvenience to their families. This is an identity issue for Crozet. Who are we? Who belongs with us? Enlarging the school is also the friendliest solution to the northern neighborhoods, which would not face the prospect of adapting to new uses that might involve nights and weekends and lighting. A committee has been formed now to oversee the design of the new 20,000-square-foot Crozet library and meanwhile the County has passed rules that say, properly, that all buildings in downtown must be at least two stories. Many of the public space needs identified in the County’s recent meetings about the old school could be incorporated into the library with a little forethought. The future is likely to be more digital, not less, and digital does not use much floor area. Then there is the currently library, the former depot. What will happen to it? It might be a sensible candidate for satellite county offices, especially a police station to serve the western side of Albemarle. The point is we should take full advantage of the land we own before we go shopping for more. We taxpayers already have plenty of public property to take care of. Ave Atque Vale The Gazette notes with sadness the passing of Charlie Bell, who was a good soul and kept a lot of folks fed in his day. He did a lot of favors for Santa Claus, and we expect Santa will miss him, too. Such Nice Gentlemen The editor would like to thank the two young men, whoever they are, who stopped to push his daughter’s car out of a ditch on Rt. 250 recently. We do all rely on the courtesy of strangers more than we recognize. Subscribe to the Gazette! Don’t miss your hometown news! Have the Crozet Gazette delivered to your mailbox. Send a check to: Crozet Gazette P.O. Box 863 Crozet, VA 22932 Delivery rate: $20/year for 12 issues Contribute to the Fireworks Fund, please. The Downtown Crozet Association, a non-profit organization, is again organizing a fundraising campaign to raise $6,000 to pay for the fireworks show at the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department’s Summerfest event July 5 at Claudius Crozet Park. The fireworks show will be at 10:30 p.m. Donations, much appreciated and celebrating Crozet’s place in America the beautiful, should be sent to the DCA at P.O. Box 124, Crozet, VA 22932. Don’t miss any of the hometown news everybody else is up on. Pick up a free copy of the Crozet Gazette at one of the many area locations or have the Crozet Gazette delivered to your home or dorm room. Mail subscriptions are available for $20 for 12 issues. Send a check to Crozet Gazette, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932. Published on the first Thursday of the month by The Crozet Gazette LLC, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, Virginia 22932 Michael J. Marshall, Publisher and Editor 434-466-8939 www.crozetgazette.com © The Crozet Gazette LLC Crozet Gazette Route Carriers: Claudius Crozet Park neighborhoods: Chris Breving: 823-2394 Western Ridge/Stonegate: Ashley Gale: 823-1578 Cory Farm/Clover Lawn/Foxchase: Austin Germani: 882-5976 Old Trail/Haden & Killdeer Lanes: Andrew Periasamy: 989-5732 Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 3 Summerfest Schedule July 5 • Claudius Crozet Park 9 a.m. Poker Run 10 a.m. Festival Opens 10 a.m. 10 a.m. 11 a.m. 12 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. Family Games begin Sack Race Egg Toss Water Cup Race Frisbee Toss Water Balloon Toss 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Activities include: 30’ Rock Climbing Wall Extreme Air Bungee Jumper Inflatable Jumper Dunk Tank Dime Pitch Car Show 11 – 2 p.m. 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. FOOD Pork Bar-B-Q, Hot Dogs, Polish Sausage, Fruit Plate, Hamburgers, Funnel Cakes and MORE! 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. 3 p.m. Craft Exhibitions PARADE 5:30 p.m. FiremEn’s Competition 10:30 p.m. Music Schedule 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and 4 – 10:30 p.m. 11 – 12 p.m. 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. 2:45 – 3:45 p.m. 4 – 5 p.m. 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. 7:45 – 8:45 p.m. 9 p.m. – Fireworks FIREWORKS The Wave Skyline Cloggers Lester Seal Band Ashleigh Pugh & Sarah Pollard Freddie Frazier Band Ronnie Johnson Band Morris Family Eli Cook Down Til Now From left to right: Joanne Perkins, Isabelle Marshall, and Meg Sewell White Hall Ruritans Name Scholarship Winner Isabelle Marshall received the Walter Perkins Memorial Scholarship from Joanne Perkins (left) and White Hall Ruritans president Meg Sewell at a picnic supper at Claudius Crozet park June 26. The scholarship honors the former White Hall District supervisor and school board member. Marshall will attend the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg in September and is thinking about a biology major. Besides the scholarship, this year the Ruritans have made donations to the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department and Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, supported the “Destination Imagination” teams from Henley Middle School, honored three outstanding fifth grade students from Crozet Elementary with gift certificates, sponsored an SPCA rabies vaccination clinic at the White Hall Community Building, sponsored the Civilian Conservation Corps celebration at the Community Building, erected a creche at the Community Building during December, held a Christmas Party for children in the White Hall area, conducted a fall community picnic on the old horse grounds on Spring Hollow Road, did Spring and Fall road clean-up on roads into and out of White Hall, installed a new heating and air conditioning system for the Community Building continued on page 27 s Get the Gazette at: Albemarle Co. Office Building A.M. Fog Anderson’s Store, Rt. 151 B&B Cleaners Batesville Store Blue Ridge Builder’s Supply Blue Ridge Market Brownsville Market Crozet Dairy Queen Crozet Family Medicine Crozet Great Valu Crozet Hardware Crozet Laudromat Crozet Library Crozet Pizza D&W Market Fabulous Foods Gateway Market Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce Greenwood Gourmet Hunt Country Corner Ivy Corner King Family Vineyard Lang’s Gift Shop Little Market Maupin Brothers Store Maupin’s Music & Video Mermaid Coffee Modern Barber Shop Music Today New Dominion Book Shop Otto’s Parkway Pharmacy Piedmont Store Rockfish Country Store Rockfish Gap Community Center Rockfish Gap Country Store Second Heaven, Waynesboro Toddsbury of Ivy U.Va. Credit Union (Crozet) Waynesboro Tourist Center, Afton Mountain Wyant’s Store Area Schools (while in session) Crozet gazette page 4 s JUly 2008 Shenandoah National Park Offers Camping Seminars Shenandoah National Park will offer a seminar on “The Basics of Family Camping” on Saturday and Sunday, July 19-20. Camping overnight, families can get hands-on experience in the basics of cooking, setting up a tent, and applying Leave No Trace techniques. Park rangers and volunteers will demonstrate camping gear and provide tips on how to have a fun, safe outdoor family adventure. Tents, cooking equipment, and food will be provided. The seminar costs $50 for one adult and child (5-12 years old) and $10 for each additional family member. Reservations are required. Shenandoah National Park Association members receive a 20 percent discount. To register, go to the SNP website at http://www.nps. gov/shen/planyourvisit/resource_ seminars.htm. A second session of “The Basics of Family Camping” is scheduled for August 2-3. For more information, contact the park’s Education Office at (540) 999-3489 or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gob/shen. Gospel Jubilee Set for July 10-12 The seventh Virginia Southern Gospel Jubilee will be held July 10, 11 and 12 at Glen Maury Park on 10th Street in Buena Vista. Several local groups will singing as well as professional gospel groups including Mike Upright, The Browders, and Kevin Spencer and Friends on Thursday evening. Restoration, The Singing Cookes, and The Cooke Brothers will perform on Friday. Saturday will feature The Bowlings, The Oxendines, and Carla and Redemption. Starting times on Thursday and Friday are at 6 p.m. and on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Jubilee will be held rain or shine beneath a multipurpose shelter. Some seating is available but it is recommended that everyone bring a lawn chair. Park camping and concessions are available. All are invited. There is no admission fee, but a free-will offering will be received each evening to help with event expenses. The Pentecostal Outreach Church of Buena Vista is sponsoring the festival. For more information, please call Pastor Larry Clark at 540-261-2556 or visit www.VaSouthernGospelJubilee. com. It’s A Little Cooler at Humpback Rocks Mountain Farm Area groups will perform traditional Appalachian music at Humpback Rocks Mountain Farm on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. throughout the summer. The re-created 19th-century Appalachian pioneer farm is at Milepost 5.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Weekend activities include quilting, basketmaking, and open hearth cooking, as well ountainside as the usual care of the garden and SENIOR the chicken LIVING flock. Wildflowers are in bloom. 13 July 6: Breakin’ Nu Ground featuring traditionalA JABA Appalachian music; Sunnyside Assisted with Carolyn Living Community Phillips performing old-time tunes; also featuring Harry Baldwin and his Percheron draft horses. July 13: Grassy Ridge with Pam ountainside Ward. Traditional songs of the SENIOR LIVING mountains. July 20: Concert with Loose 14 Gravel. Old-time bluegrass. July 27: Mel A JABA Lee and Band Assisted Living Community Nonesuch. 100-year-old ballads from the Shenandoah Valley All events are free. Park Rangers are ready to answer questions. Call (540) 943-4716 for ountainside information and to confirm events. SENIOR LIVING abandonment in Poe’s personal life, weaving together Poe’s prose with jazz standards. Suggested donation: $10. Tel: (434) 361-1999. The Hamner Theater (at 190 Rockfish School Lane, south of Afton on Rt. 151) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) project of the Rockfish Valley Community Center. Visit www.thehamnertheater.com. Family and Friends Day At Mt. Salem Set for July 27 Poe & All That Jazz Back at the Hamner Theater M You don’t have to be present to win. Mountainside Mountainside SENIOR LIVING 15 Mountainside SENIOR LIVING 16 SENIOR LIVING 15 A JABA Assisted Living Community A JABA Assisted Living Community Award-winning playwright Peter ountainside Coy’s Poe & All That SENIOR Jazz will LIVINGbe staged at the 16Hamner Theater for one night only Thursday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. The production then A JABA heads to Washington, D.C., as part Assisted Living Community of the Capital Fringe Festival, for 6 performances at the Shakespeare Theatre Company@The Harman Center - Forum, from July 12–20. Coy’s play explores undercurrents of JULY 11, 2008 Mt. Salem Gospel Church in 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mechum River will hold a Family and Friends Day Sunday, July CROZET FIREHOUSE 27th. The guest speaker for the eve ning service at 3 p.m. will be Elder MENU John Marshall from the Free Union Baked Spaghetti, Salad, Bread, Gospel Church in Gordonsville and ountainside ountainside Sheet cakes, Tea, Coffee, Water his choir and congregation. Other SENIOR LIVING SENIOR LIVING & Coke products visiting churches will accompany 13a Marshall to Mt. Salem Gospel 13b Elder COST ChurchA JABAas well. Food will be A JABA Donations to served Assisted immediately Living Community following the Assisted Living Community Ashley Walton’s fund 11:30 morning service (Sunday School at 10:30) and again after RAFFLE evening service. A free-will offering $200.00 A/C Service, will be taken. The public is invited ountainside Leaf Blower ountainside to attend. The church is at the corSENIOR LIVING $75LIVING gift certificate to Duners SENIOR ner of Three Notch’d Road and Old Kite’s Ham Gift Box Three Notch’d Road. Piedmont Store Gift Card 14 14 Southern States Gift Card A JABA A JABA Assisted Living Community Assisted Living Community and many more items. M 15 FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT ASHLEY WALTON A JABA Assisted Living Community WINNER OF THE 2007 GOVERNOR’S HOUSING AWARD A JABA Assisted Living Community Mountainside SENIOR LIVING Offering exceptional and affordable assisted living 16 in a quiet, convenient setting in the heart of Crozet, near Charlottesville. A JABA 2 £!da¨mpm`zpP!aF=da¥amV Assisted Living Community h!m!VF=)¨ 2 caddF=!OOpm`aF¡T 2 phF`¨dFhF!d:OF!£amVdp3!dOpp= 2 F!pm!)d¨za3F=:^phF¨pph¦a^ £mmamV¥aF¦ www.jabacares.org 434-823-4307 Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 5 by Phil James Shenandoah National Park The Hidden Sacrifice P resident Franklin Roosevelt dedicated Shenandoah National Park on the 3rd of July 1936, “to this and succeeding generations of Americans for the recreation and for the re-creation which they shall find here.” Ten years of struggle, great sacrifice, and countless tears had preceded this speech expounding on land conservation and the motorized pursuit of happiness by the American people. Now, imagine living in a place where everything you need for work and play is available just a short distance from your front door. Throw in spectacular views, a network of roads with only occasional traffic, and good neighbors whose ancestral roots run as deeply in that place as your own. Then, imagine that when your children reach adulthood and are continuing the same traditions which were handed down to you, a law is established that requires them to abandon their homes, property, neighborhood and way of life. Such was the case of Christopher Columbus Via, born the fourth of 13 siblings, and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Albemarle County. When Christopher Via was born in 1850, an agricultural census that same year noted that his grandfather Clifton Via was blessed to own a farmstead of several hundred acres and a wide variety of livestock. His field crops included oats, wheat, corn and tobacco, while his gardens produced beans, potatoes and peas and other staples. Clifton Via’s forefathers had farmed Albemarle County lands since the mid-1700’s. A traditionally strong work ethic led Christopher Columbus Via to establish an orchard of Albemarle Pippin apples in a 2,700’ elevation wind gap below the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. His most select fruits were shipped to England, beginning that long trek from Via Gap by horse-and-wagon over the mountain to a railroad shipping point in the Shenandoah Valley. The balance of the crop was distilled into brandy for legal sale. The seasonal apple business supplemented his usual farming and timbering operations. Via’s commercial pursuits provided work for many in his neighborhood, and served as lessons in business for the fifteen children born to him and his wife Melinda (Marshall) Via. His hardearned prosperity allowed him to contribute land for two community buildings: Wayside Brethren Church (built near the intersection of the North Fork of Moormans River and Black Rock Gap Road), and Via School (built in the mountains alongside this same fork of the Moormans River). As America prospered and grew, forward-looking individuals began to call for the setting aside and conservation of certain public lands. The first such project was Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872. By the early 1920s more than a dozen U.S. National Parks had been established, all but one being in the western states. Post-World War prosperity coupled with massproduced, affordable automobiles enabled Americans of modest means to become increasingly mobile. A demand was raised to establish a national park easily accessed by the masses living in the eastern U.S. Much lobbying was done by states hoping to be awarded the unique distinction— and the tourism dollars—that such a designation would bring. In 1924 the Southern Appalachian National Park Committee recommended two sites: Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina/Tennessee and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. In 1926 both parks were authorized by Congress—with the condition that their lands be donated. The lands comprising Shenandoah National Park lie in eight Virginia counties. Congress had stipulated that the proposed park must contain a minimum of 160,000 acres. From 1926 to 1928 an area of more than 300,000 acres was surveyed President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated Shenandoah National Park on July 3, 1936. for possible inclusion in the park. This included 344 individual tracts of land in Albemarle County totaling nearly 25,000 acres. Houses and barns were inspected, fruit trees were counted and values were placed on saleable timber. The Hoover continued on page 6 Daniel C. Via (1877–1930), sitting on right, rests beside his sons, Jessie and Junie, c.1901. Daniel followed the logging traditions of his father, Christopher Columbus Via, in the Via Gap area of western Albemarle County. [Photo courtesy of Leon Via III.] Crozet gazette page 6 s JUly 2008 Shenandoah National Park—continued from page 5 Robert H. “Bob” Via sits with two youngsters in the midst of baskets and barrels of Albemarle Pippin apples. Bob Via unsuccessfully challenged the Commonwealth of Virginia’s right to take his Blue Ridge Mountain land and orchards and give them to the federal government. [Photo courtesy of Leon Via III.] Moletus and Sarah (Frazier) Garrison with their children at their home on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Albemarle County. Like many others, the Garrison family was forced off their land for the creation of Shenandoah National Park. [Photo courtesy of Woodrow and Rosie Keyton.] administration had been willing to allow the mountain people to remain in their homes. The powers-that-be in Roosevelt’s administration dashed the hopes of many when they decreed that all park inhabitants would have to move out. Following a blanket condemnation by the state, monetary settlements were offered to titled land owners, and an appeals process (usually fruitless) began. Some owners were ready and willing to sell—many more were less than willing at the prices offered. Others were unwilling to sell or leave at any price. Unease was the order of the day in many mountain settlements. Neighborhood meetings were held among the mountain dwellers, and correspondence, news and rumors were passed along. As individual appeals wore on and fears of the inevitable became more of a reality, landowners’ letters to park and government authorities took on a different tone. Owners asked if they could move buildings, or requested permission to plant gardens or repair fences one more season. Individuals outside of the proposed park area asked to salvage materials from abandoned homes. Most citizen requests were denied. Former renters and tenants of sold properties, having no legal or financial recourse in the condemnations, sometimes quietly moved into nearby recently abandoned houses. When discovered, they again were forced to leave, and the houses were dismantled or burned to prevent repeat occurrences. When it appeared to the remaining mountain residents that all recourse had Joseph F. Wood (1871–1944) was the only Albemarle County landowner granted lifetime tenure following the establishment of Shenandoah National Park. He and his wife Winkie (Belew) raised their family on the south fork of Moormans River in Sugar Hollow, near today’s popular Blue Hole. [Photo courtesy of Larry Lamb.] been exhausted, a spark of hope was rekindled late in 1934. Albemarle County landowner Robert H. “Bob” Via (1883–1958), a son of Christopher Columbus Via, contended that “the state had no power to condemn property within the state for the purpose of making a gift of it to the United States.” Via took his challenge against the State of Virginia to the federal courts. Bob Via had no small interest in the state’s condemnation affairs. He had continued his father’s legacy in the Via Gap area by planting thousands more Albemarle Pippin trees, and netted $2000 annually (a princely sum in that day) on fruit sales alone. Though the federal court considered Via’s arguments, his challenge died in November 1935 when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal. A month later, on the day after Christmas 1935, over 176,000 acres of Virginia mountain lands were titled to the federal government. Thousands of park boosters were in attendance when President Roosevelt’s dedicatory speech was presented in the grassy field at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. Their appreciative applause echoed down the mountainsides, but few remained in the hollows and coves to wonder what the commotion was all about. The previous Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 7 Rockfish Valley Volunteer Fire Department to Host Fundraisers By Kathy Johnson The gravestone of Christopher Columbus Via (1850–1906) and his wife Melinda (1849–1921) stands tall over the graves of their extended family members in the Via Cemetery. The National Park land condemnation took Via’s former home with much of his mountain farm, and isolated the cemetery on private property. ten years, overseen by three presidential administrations, had been fraught with economic depression, the devastating chestnut blight, a hog cholera epidemic, the worst drought in 100 years, and a smear campaign against an innocent people orchestrated by Park proponents and the media. Roosevelt’s entourage motored from Big Meadows to Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville. There the President spent the evening and night before speaking the following day, Saturday, July 4th, at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. His election campaign theme song, Happy Days Are Here Again, was doubtlessly played while he was in town, but it was probably not running through the minds of the former residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Monticello’s western viewshed. Descendants of Christopher Columbus Via bushwhack almost a mile down from Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive, carrying the tools needed to maintain their ancestral burial ground in Via Gap. They search the surrounding woods—some on private lands, some in the Park—to pay homage at the home sites of their mountain ancestors. Similar pilgrimages are repeated throughout the Park by other families. They are occasionally accompanied by one who can still recall the days before the families were scattered and the mountain lands provided all of their needs. It is their legacy and sacrifice that we honor with our appreciation and respect for the lands they once called home. Phil James invites contact from those who would share recollections and old photographs of life along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Albemarle County, Virginia. You may respond to him at: P.O. Box 88, White Hall, VA 22987 or [email protected]. Secrets of the Blue Ridge © 2008 Phil James Crozet Baptist Church With a new $300,000 fire truck, the Rockfish Valley Volunteer Fire Department is set on a course of fundraising events this summer and fall to help pay for the new addition. Located on Rockfish Valley Highway (Route 6 [also 151]) in Afton, the department provides fire and rescue service for Nelson County, Route 250 to the top of the mountain and parts of western Albemarle County. The combination volunteer fire and rescue service hosted a truck and tractor pull in June, the first of numerous events designed to raise money for the truck and other department expenses. “We handled a lot of money,” says Teresa Davis, Rescue Captain. “Now we have to see what we get to keep.” Staffed by an all-volunteer group of local residents, the department is not only responsible for fire and safety, they must raise the money to provide those services and rely strongly on community support to help reach their financial goals. Regular Tuesday night Bingo has helped with expenses in the past, but with the new fire truck and other regular department expenses, it will take more than Bingo to cover their costs. On Saturday, July 12, beginning at 9 a.m., the group will hold an auction to raise funds. Currently the group is accepting items for the auction. Those willing to donate good usable items for the auction should call (540) 456-6379 or (540) 456-6052 to schedule a time to bring the item or for more information about the sale. Food will also be available at the auction. Items already included in the auction include a bush-hog and the old fire department squad truck. The next event currently scheduled will be on September 6, when a Bluegrass Festival will be held at the fire department. Tickets for this event are $10 per person for adults and $5 for children 6-12. Children under 5 will be admitted free. There will be a 50/50 drawing and food will be available. Scheduled bands for the event include James River Cut-Ups, Little Mountain Boys and In the Tradition. A fourth band will be announced. For more information on this event call Gary Nickell at (434) 361-1059 or (434) 962-9558. On September 27, a tractor pull will be held and the department’s Tractor Raffle and dinner is set for November 1. The group is currently selling tickets for that event, which features the raffle of a 2008 Chevrolet pickup truck. 350 tickets are being sold for the raffle and purchase of a ticket for $100 will include two steak dinners and chances at other prizes during the evening. The evening will end with the drawing of the last ticket to determine the winner of the new truck. Come along on a VBS “Friendship Trek” ! Crozet gazette page 8 s JUly 2008 CCC’s White Hall Camp Remembered The Civilian Conservation Corp camp that existed in White Hall from 1933 through World War II was remembered at a talk by local historian Phil James at the White Hall Community Center June 8. Joan Sharpe, president of CCC Legacy, a group of CCC alumni and their families who want the contributions of the CCC to be remembered, was on hand and presented James with a CCC 75th Anniversary medal to recognize his exemplary history reporting on the subject. [See the June 2008 Crozet Gazette] “We’re trying to elevate the CCC, particularly in Virginia,” Sharpe told the crowd of 45. “I think of it as the home of the conservation movement. The first CCC camps were in Virginia, Camp Roosevelt and Camp Luray. It’s a Virginia first that gets little attention. It’s not just the national forests and the Shenandoah National Park. State parks and the first state fish hatcheries were built by the CCC. They did a lot to restore national battlefields in Virginia, especially Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. We have to fight for that history.” CCC Legacy is moving its national headquarters to Edinburg, near the site of Camp Roosevelt, she announced. A statue to CCC workers was erected there May 17 to mark what would have been the CCC’s 75th anniversary. The U.S. Forest Service is trying to raise $1 million for a CCC museum there, Sharpe said. Meanwhile, a statue of a CCC worker nicknamed “Big Mike,” shown bare-chested with an axe at his side, has also been erected CCC Legacy president Joan Sharpe presented local historian Phil James with a CCC 75th Anniversary medal to recognize his writing on the corps. at Big Meadows. More than 3 million men served in the CCC. Among their many contributions, they put up most of the telephone poles in America that established the national telephone infrastructure. James had put up an impressive display of local CCC memorabilia, including clippings of local newspaper stories, old photos of Virginia camps and men at work, CCC promotional and recruitment literature, posters, a silk pillow embroidered with “Happy Days In the CCC: We Can Take It,” felt CCC pennants, matchbooks, CCC license plates, book ends with the CCC shield, and a bugle. “My interest is the people who lived the history,” said James. “They built rock walls we drive by and they planted the trees we sit under,” he noted. Alexander Salomon, MD Board Certified in Internal Medicine (434) 823-1044 www.crozetmed.com Three men who were at Camp White Hall are still alive. Local Truman Huckstep, who died two years ago (with 45 years of perfect attendance at White Hall Ruritan meetings), spent two-and-a-half years at the camp. Workers had to be qualified to join—including a need qualification—and attended training camps to get fit, James explained. When World War II broke out, many CCCers enlisted. “[The government] wanted to train the boys with social skills and literacy. They lived together around the clock. Camps were like high school classes. They went in and they graduated out.” When the first group of 196 men arrived in June 1933, they had no trucks so they walked eight miles, carrying their tools, to their worksite. “These young guys were aware of what a special thing they were a part of. We’ve gotten jaded to so much,” James lamented. “Boys were working to support their families.” Workers earned $30 a month, he said, and were allowed to keep $5. By rule, the other $25 was sent home to their families. Camp payrolls brought $5,000 monthly into their locales and were important support for rural economies. The woods were full of dead chestnuts at the time and forest fires were common. James speculated that some were started by the CCC men because they got paid for putting them out. The camp had a nursery and men worked on controlling forest diseases. Camp White Hall men worked at digging ditches along roads, building bridges, and cutting fire trails in the mountains. They also made all the signs (637) for CCC camps in Virginia. It took three years, but they built Lake Albemarle. Later the camp was used to house German prisoners of war who were put to work picking fruit and cutting cordwood. Some of the Germans returned to the area to live after the war was over. Sherando Lake was also a CCC camp used to house POWs. James is hoping to get a Virginia Historical Marker placed in White Hall to commemorate the camp. The cost would be $1,350, he said. Sharpe said CCC Legacy was ready to help with fundraising. fine gardening services Garden Maintenance, Renovations, Hand Pruning, Spring and Fall Cleanups, Turf Renovation Annual contracts or per occurrence Fairly priced services provided by professional horticulturists Over 50 years combined experience Proudly serving our community since 1984 Conveniently located in Crozet Charles House 434.960.6221 • 434.977.2510 Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 9 © Marlene A. Condon Condon’s Corner: Kitchen Gardening Blueberries There are many kinds of blueberries, and the names of the different types are often descriptive of their growing habits (half-high, low bush). The ones that are cultivated in our gardens are usually the “highbush” types. These bushes typically grow from four to five feet in height and produce fruit over 8 to 10 weeks. They make cute little bell-shaped flowers in the spring, blue berries in the summer, bright red leaves in the fall, and have red (sometimes yellow) branches in the winter. If you have already planted blueberry bushes, you are harvesting and enjoying these wonderful berries now. If you do not have blueberry plants in your yard, you might consider that they are probably the easiest fruits to grow in the home garden. You can plan now for growing some of these lovely and useful shrubs next year if you have a sunny area with acid soil (the same pH that rhododendrons and azaleas require. A highbush blueberry shrub has a very fine, fibrous root system that is mostly located in the top 12 inches of soil. These roots can dry out easily so it is important that you place mulch (two to three inches) around the base of the plant. The mulch cover should extend out to the “dripline” (where rain drops drip off the branch tips). There are many varieties of mulches. Grass clippings are probably the easiest and cheapest to obtain since most homeowners have a lawn. Use the bagging device on your mower to gather up the clippings and then spread them around your bushes. However, if your lawn was treated with herbicides, DO NOT use grass clippings. Herbicides are not selective and will kill the plants you want to grow as well as the ones you don’t. Herbicides are also extremely harmful to our amphibians, such as toads and salamanders that are your “natural insecticides,” so you should avoid using them in the future. Wood chips are very good choices for mulching, although they may be expensive. They can be bought in quantity from sawmills or folks who specialize in selling mulch by the truckload (look in the yellow pages). This is cost efficient if you have lots of areas around the yard that could use mulching. Twice a year, fertilize with 5-10-10 or 10-10-10: in the spring as plants are budding out, and again about now (early July). Organic gardeners can add blood meal, cottonseed meal, and well-rotted manure (a combination of these substances should be employed to provide a more balanced fertilization). Do not use wood ashes (from fireplaces) or bone meal (from dead animals) as these make the soil less acidic. Lastly, in order to keep your plants productive, they will need to be pruned in early spring just as the flower buds begin to swell (become enlarged). For the first five years after planting, you need only cut out any diseased or broken branches each spring. After six growing seasons, however, the bushes are considered to be “mature,” and productivity will decline on the oldest shoots. These shoots Marlene A. Condon must be cut back all the way to ground level in order to encourage new shoots to sprout from the base of the plants. These young stems will form flower buds for the next summer’s bloom. You may sometimes see Yellow-necked or Fall Webworm moth caterpillars or Brown Elfin butterfly caterpillars, but you should just leave them be. They may defoliate a few branches, but the shrubs will simply re-leaf after the “cats” are gone in a few weeks. In a nature-friendly garden, numerous predators, such as tachinid flies, will help limit future numbers of caterpillars free of charge for you. Keep in mind that caterpillars serve as important food for many other kinds of animals, especially baby birds still in the nest. Moths are an especially critical food source for bats, while butterflies provide great beauty for you in addition to serving as food for other critters. Do what’s best for our natural world (and ultimately us!) and just be patient. The biggest competitor for your blueberries will be birds, followed by mammals. If you place netting over the bushes, you must check the netting several times every day. Snakes may become entangled and birds may fly underneath and get caught. They will die if left there and you need snakes to limit vole populations and birds to limit insect numbers. Or do what I did: Instead of using netting, grow some blueberry shrubs away from the house especially for the birds and mammals and don’t use netting at all in your garden. This is gardening made easy! Al Reaser Automobile Sales Consultant Kiser Auto Sales Stuarts Draft, VA I provide a positive purchasing experience with: &No haggle pricing &A trusted small town dealer &Fair trade-in value &Respect and attention given to your wants and needs Let me find the EXACT late model vehicle YOU want. Phone: (434) 823-5711 Cell: (434) 806-2049 [email protected] www.kiserautosales.com Crozet gazette page 10 s JUly 2008 Peachtree—continued from page 1 Lorenzo Carrazana with a good cut. 10-and-under State Tournament. Matt Schoeb, the starting pitcher for the local little league got off to a rough start. The hard-throwing lefty gave up four runs in the first two innings and meanwhile got no run support from his teammates. Schoeb allowed two more runs in the top of the third inning, but the winds of change were beginning to blow. David Strucko led off the bottom of the third for Peachtree with a bunt single which energized the rest of the lineup. Not to be outdone, Jonathan Peterson made solid contact on a ball that the Fluvanna third baseman could not handle. The team’s leadoff man, Lorenzo Carrazana, was next in line to the plate and he smacked a line drive into centerfield, loading the bases for Schoeb. Schoeb helped himself Matt Schoeb on the mound. out by drawing a four-pitch walk, which brought in the first run for his team. The starting shortstop, Chris Hughes, was up next, and he continued the rally with an RBI single into centerfield. The bases were still loaded with no outs when Peachtree’s smooth swinging clean-up man, Caleb Handley, stepped of to the plate. With one swing of the bat the big first baseman tied up the game by absolutely demolishing a ball over the center field fence for a grand slam. A tie game was not enough for Peachtree in the third inning, and after more hits by Stephen Kuzjak, Peterson, Carazana, and Hughes, the scoreboard showed that Peachtree had taken a three-run lead, 9 to 6. Hughes moved from shortstop to pitcher for the top of the fourth inning and allowed no runs in his first inning of work. Although momentum was in their favor, Peachtree could not add to their lead. In the top of the fifth inning, Fluvanna decided that it was their turn to have a rally, and they took back the lead, 13 to 9. Hughes had to leave the game during the fifth inning after being hit with a batted ball after releasing a pitch, and Handley was forced to come to the mound. After losing a team leader in the top half of the fifth inning, Peachtree was not able to answer Fluvanna’s offensive onslaught in the bottom of the fifth. Fluvanna would add three more runs to their lead in the top of the sixth, and down by 7 entering the last half inning of the game Peachtree was in trouble. Fluvanna was able to hold off the home team’s final effort at a victory and win game one of the district championship, 16 to 9. Although Peachtree lost the first game of the championship series, they were able to bounce back and put together a very strong performance in the elimination game. Peachtree 10-andUnder All-Stars: Lorenzo Carrazana Caleb Handley Chris Hughes Ryan Jones Stephen Kuzjak Robert Mihalko Jonathan Peterson Matt Schoeb David Stucko Bryce Whitehurst Kyle Rose Manager: Eric Schoeb Lead by Schoeb and Hughes with strong showings on the mound, Peachtree was victorious in the second championship game against Fluvanna 9 to 1. After winning districts, the team will now move onto the State Tournament where it will look to bring back another championship trophy to Crozet. Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 11 A New York Yankee in Chief Bubba and Hubba’s Firehouse By Tom Loach Coming Soon to Crozet: Truckies W hile it’s very noticeable over the last couple of years that the population of Crozet has soared, we have not only been growing outward, but upward as well. It’s not unusual now to see three-story homes in most of our new developments. For the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, this new verticality presents its own set of challenges if fire should strike. One of the basic tenets of firefighting is that you have to open and ventilate the building to let the heat and smoke out at the same time you attack the base of the fire with water hoses. Because smoke and heat rise, the best place to start ventilation is at the top of the building. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, from the very simple like opening the windows and using fans to push the heat and smoke out, to the more difficult operation of cutting holes in the roof with axes or a power saw. When we’re talking about the third floor and roof, this usually means using a 35-foot ladder, and often two ladders, because you want to have at least two avenues of escape from the building or roof if something bad should happen. Another important aspect of dealing with taller buildings is the ability to make rescues from the upper floors. While we practice getting victims down a ladder, this maneuver can be a daunting and danger- ous task for both the firefighter and the victim. To confront this new height reality, the Crozet fire department is considering adding a ladder truck. Some call this new truck a platform truck because at the end of the ladder (which can extend up to 95 feet) is a platform or bucket-like extension. The platform has a number of advantages over a straight extension ladder. It provides a stable base for the firefighters to work and just underneath the platform is a large caliber hose and nozzle that can put out a considerable amount of water. Another benefit is it allows the firefighters to cut a hole in a roof without actually standing on one potentially weakened from fire. When it comes to rescues, the bucket has a small door that can be opened to allow victims easy entry into it. For the Crozet fire department, this new technology comes at not only a significant dollar amount, it will also have a major effect on how we operate. In many fire departments there is actually a division of labor, assigning firefighters to either a ladder truck or engine company. Those assigned to the truck company, or “truckies” as they’re known, have the primary responsibility of performing ventilation and search/ rescue functions. The firefighters assigned to the ladder truck will also become the experts on forcible entry, which has jokingly led to the view of truckies as highly trained vandals. The arrival of the new ladder truck will mean a significant amount of training for our drivers, who will have to adapt to a truck much longer than our current trucks, and for all of the firefighters who will operate off the platform. Our chiefs and officers will have to coordinate the efforts of both ladder and hose teams. Having been assigned to a ladder truck in New York, I can tell you that operating 95 feet in the air takes getting use to. I recently got a chance to go up in the platform of a ladder truck similar to the one Crozet will be looking at, and I admit to holding on very tight as the platform neared its vertical limit. Then again, up that high you get a very good view of Crozet. There are currently three other ladder trucks in the area, one in the city and two in the county. Adding a ladder truck to the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department will add a new layer of safety for the residents of Crozet and Albemarle County and one more reason to be proud of our fire department. CVFD Chief Warren “Hubba” Wood, Jr. To Receive Outstanding Leadership Award Fire News will recognize CVFD Battalion Chief Warren “Hubba” Wood, Jr. as the 2008 Outstanding Leadership Award Winner at Firehouse Expo, the leading fire, rescue, and EMS expo on the East Coast, which will be held July 22-27 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore. Chief Wood has proven to be a person who communicates effectively, cultivates trust, pride and commitment, and enhances the image and reputation of his department, according to the award selection committee. Crozet gazette page 12 s JUly 2008 Destination Imagination Teams Go to “Globals” A Destination Imagination team of Henley Middle School 6th graders composed of Megan Pritchard, Allyson Barkley, Jessie Powell, Angela Li, Claire Flynn, Maggie Roesch and Emily Kochard won the Virginia State Championship Left to right: Megan Pritchard, Allyson Barkley, Jessie Powell, Angela Li, Claire Flynn, Maggie Roesch. Not pictured: Emily Kochard. on April 5 in Destination Imagination’s “Chorific!” challenge. So next they were on their way to Knoxville, Tennessee, for DI’s Global Finals on May 21 - 24, where 1,031 teams from across the world competed. Destination Imagination is a program that teaches participants skills in teamwork, problem solving, and creativity. The team created a sixminute improvisational skit with props made from cardboard, cloth, pipe cleaners, and lots of bubble wrap. In the skit, a mundane chore went terribly wrong. The students overcame two obstacles in order to complete the chore, and they integrated a famous person into the skit. They also created an original sound design to enhance their performance. The students traded pins with teams from all over the United States and the world and met teams from China, Canada, and Guatemala. Adults Carol Flynn and Bill Pritchard were the team’s managers. The team had support from the Albemarle County Public Schools, which recognized their accomplishments at a School Board meeting June 12. A second Henley team produced State Champions in Destination Imagination’s (DI) Shown with Albemarle County School’s Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Bruce Benson at the June 12 School Board meeting are, left to right, Claire Flynn, Megan Pritchard and Angela Li. middle level SWITCH competition. The team of Katie Armstrong, Gabby Friedlander, Megan Holley, Julia Minnerly, Emily Schill, and Deepa Shivaram designed and built a structure weighing 22 grams (less than 4 quarters). The girls tested it by placing weights on it in one orientation before Bike Safety Class at Bright Beginnings A dozen three-year-olds on trikes and small bicycles with training wheels looped around a horseshoe shaped course in the parking lot of Bright Beginnings day care center June 25, dodging 20 brightly colored kitchen sponges and, for the most part, though it took relentless coaxing from their teachers, staying inside the boundaries they were supposed to follow: the safe road. Fourand five-year-olds got the same program the next day. Caroline Heinz and her husband David, a husband and wife team for the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation, were trying to teach them how to ride safely as part of the larger Safe Ride to School program. Each rider was given a new helmet free and coached about understanding roadways. “Wearing a helmet is the most important thing,” said Caroline Heinz. “Staying on the right side of the road and never going on the left, and obeying signs and avoiding hazards.” That’s the lesson goal. The program is six years old. The free helmets are provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and a new grant from the Virginia Department of continued on page 15 July Anniversary Sale 20% Off Selected Items • • • • • And they’re off. Miles Read, Amedeo Claudia and Cabo Rodriguez were liking the idea of biking places. Instructor David Heinz is in the background. Transportation is paying for plans that will show, and develop, safe routes to school for a two-mile radius around all the Charlottesville and Albemarle public schools. Heinz grew up in Alexandria and remembers walking or biking to school every day. “In the 70s, 60 percent of kids walked or rode to school. Now it’s 13 percent,” she said. “Meanwhile, there’s a big spike in childhood obesity and diabetes. Walking and riding gives kids a chance to exercise before they sit down in school. It’s a national movement.” Crozet has the largest par- ticipation of anybody in the city or county,” she noted. “The big concern is about safety. But eventually kids will leave the house. We’re trying to educate them in a practical way. “Maybe parents will rethink driving the kids to school. So the idea is to give them [the kids] a chance to practice being on the road. The idea is not that kids walk to school by themselves, but with a parent and a gaggle of other kids—a ‘walking school bus.’ Parents could arrange to take turns walking.” Julie’s Organic Icecream Genesis Today Weleda Skin Care New Chapter Knudsen’s Soda A Big Thank you to all our Fabulous Customers 10% Off Everything 1205 Crozet Ave. (434) 823-1100. Across from Post Office. Parking in rear. Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5 www.fabfoodsmarket.com Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 13 An Era Passes At Parson’s Green Change, they say, is the only constant. Even if it happens slowly. Parson’s Green, the home of The [late] Reverend Harvey Lee Marston and now his son, John II, near Foxchase on Route 250, is going up for sale and with it an era fades. Curtis Alexander, who has kept the grounds of the house since the 1970s, can see its passing as oblivious motorists on the highway, out of sight of the house, pass by. For 37 years, Rev. Marston was the pastor of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood and its mission church, Holy Cross in Batesville. He died in 1990. He preached as a visitor at local churches and other Episcopal missions along the Blue Ridge. He was famous as a local Boy Scout scoutmaster, baseball and basketball coach, swimming instructor (he taught more than 3,000 kids) and square dance caller. He was a pacifist who worked as a volunteer in local orchards during World War II while farmers’ sons were in the service. He was a 492 School House Lane founder of the Crozet Lions Club. He promoted racial desegregation. He opposed the Vietnam War. He was a member of the University of Virginia’s secret Seven Society. His values seemed to exemplify the best of the mid-20th century in western Albemarle. Alexander has been trimming branches along the drive recently, trying to spruce up the nearly 150-year-old place, and has accumulated three large brush piles to burn. For the last 18 years he’s worked in the yard for Blue Ridge Builders Supply and meanwhile kept up the outside chores, plus whatever else needed doing at Parson’s Green. He lives in Greenwood on Newtown Road with his wife and daughter. Born in Avon in northern Nelson County, he went to Rockfish Elementary and finished at Nelson County High School before getting electronics training that he never really used professionally. He was hired at Parson’s Green Curtis Alexander by Dora Sims, also of Greenwood, now gone to her reward, who managed the house for Rev. Marston and, best of all, did the cooking. “She was here from seven in the morning until whenever,” remem- A true Virginia farmhouse with stunning mountain views and total privacy! The original log cabin was built in the late 1800s and has been renovated and landscaped beautifully. Three bedrooms, two baths, tiled and hardwood floors and custom hickory cabinets in the great room, dining room, office/ music room, laundry room, mudroom, covered porch and more! Separate rental/guest house; barns and workshop and a 443-square-foot attached, unfinished apartment or office. Brand new central heat and A/C. Offered with 9.08 acres. 30 minutes to Charlottesville and right below Wintergreen Resort. Wood furnace for backup heat. $649,000 Free Union parcel Y ou can’t beat this price! Beautiful 11-acre estate parcel in western Free Union with magnificent year-round views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Long frontage on Rt. 601, pond site with engineering completed. Parcel has mix of open pasture and trees. Lovely creek. Bring your horses and build your dream. Owner financing available. Price reduced! $249,000 877-826-7799 434-823-7799 The Shoppes of Clover Lawn Route 250 in Crozet across from Blue Ridge Builders Supply www.MountainAreaRealty.com [email protected] bered Alexander. “Man, could she cook!” She used the Marstons’ station wagon to get back and forth from home. “When I first started, I brought my lunch,” Alexander recalled. “Then Rev. Marston said, ‘You eat what we eat.’ You don’t find many like him. He bought my ring and suit for me when I got married. He was a neat man. He gave me a teeny Bible when I got my car and I’ve still got it in there. That’s why my car is still running.” Alexander is an occasional church-goer, sometimes to Mt. Zion in Newtown. “Things are going pretty good for me so I need to be going more,” he said. “Rev. Marston used to donate there every year. There aren’t too many people like him. He had a lot of wisdom. He knew I don’t like snakes and he used to tease me about it when he saw one.” “I didn’t mind whatever they asked me to do. Coming here was like being at home. It’s like a vacation here. Nobody was watching me and I knew what I needed to do. Why bite the hand that feeds you is what my grandfather used to say. If it ain’t mine and you don’t put it in my hand, I’m not taking it.” He usually works on the place three or four days a week plus Saturdays. “When I work I feel better than when I sit around at home. It keeps you healthy. Plus, I like money. continued on page 31 Crozet gazette page 14 s JUly 2008 By Dr. Robert C. Reiser Drowning on Dry Land Well, the dog days of summer are upon us and the cool waters of Mint Springs and Crozet Pool beckon. Yet an insidious and sinister danger may await our children there. On June 5th the national media heavily reported the tragic case of a 10-year-old South Carolina boy who “drowned” an hour after walking home from the pool and taking a nap. My wife called me to the computer to quiz me on this. “I’ve never known a child could walk around, talk, speak and their lungs be filled with water,” Cassandra Jackson told NBC News in a story broadcast on The Today Show. Yikes! Neither did I! All those years of medical school and practice and no clue. My wife looked at me skeptically and showed me the numerous medical experts who had weighed in on this phenomenon of “dry drowning.” Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician from New York University Langone Medical Center, told Today’s Meredith Vieira that there are warning signs that every parent should be aware of. Johnny Jackson exhibited some of them, but unless a parent knows what to look for, they are easily overlooked or misinterpreted. Every parent? Easily overlooked? Update at 11! Also from MSNBC: According to the Centers for Disease Control, some 3,600 people drowned in 2005, the most recent year for which there are statistics. Some 10 to 15 percent of those deaths were classified as “dry drowning,” which can occur up to 24 hours after a small amount of water gets into the lungs. In children, that can happen during a bath. It can? My wife wanted to know why I didn’t know that. All those baths for our kids followed by naps. Man, was I getting medically schooled by Meredith Vieira. Needless to say, Johnny Jackson’s story alarmed every parent who heard it. And yet it was essentially completely untrue. The CDC quickly released this: “Recent media reports have incorrectly attributed to CDC data about incidents of ‘dry drowning.’ CDC supports international consensus defining drowning as ‘the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid’ and does not distinguish between ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ drowning.” So what is going on ? When a person drowns it is always in the water, but water doesn’t always get into the lungs. “Dry drowning” or drowning without water entering the lungs is thought to be due primarily to a spasm of the larynx preventing the water from entering the lungs. This occurs in about 10-15 percent of all drownings, but they all occur in the water. Not at home in your bed. What may have happened to this kid is delayed drowning. Delayed drowning refers to drowning victims who are resuscitated and later succumb to lung damage from the drowning event. This happens to roughly 3 percent of all resuscitated drowning victims. But they have to drown or nearly drown (unconscious and not breathing followed by awakening, usually after resuscitation efforts) first. Johnny Jackson, like 30 percent of all kids who drown, was developmentally delayed, with both autism and ADD. In addition he could not swim and had never even been in a pool before. At some point he was reported to have soiled himself in the pool, which was likely during his drowning event. Despite popular depictions, most drownings are calm, silent affairs, without the thrashing and splashing we would expect. It is not clear from the reports all that happened that afternoon, but it seems that he recovered from his near drowning somehow and was taken home, where he later succumbed to the water damage to his lungs. This is well-described in medical literature and is the reason why we hospitalize all victims of near drowning. So the easily overlooked warning sign that every parent should know is: has your child recently nearly drowned? If so, and he recovers consciousness, don’t put him down for a nap. Bring him to see me in the ED. And for the record, Meredith Vieira, I still recommend a warm bath followed by a good nap. I learned this from my kids. – Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 15 By Charles Kidder T Hedgehog Flowers he genus Echinacea, the purple coneflowers, gets its name from the Latin echinus—probably borrowed from the Greek—meaning either hedgehog or sea urchin, depending on where you sit. One look at the flower’s central cone shows the resemblance to either of these spiky creatures. Despite the cone’s rigidity, however, it’s not sharp enough to break skin. So, you can welcome these American natives into your garden without fear. Purple coneflowers belong to the family Asteraceae, which was called the Compositae back in the good old days. The “flower” on most composites is actually composed of dozens of flowers arranged in an inflorescence. On a coneflower— or aster, sunflower, daisy, etc.—ray flowers with showy petals surround the disk flowers that lack petals. But so much for botanical correctness; from here on, I will just call those things that look like flowers … flowers. Not surprisingly, most of the wild purple coneflowers are indeed purple, or at least a pinky-purple. (The major exception is Echinacea paradoxa, known as Ozark Coneflower or Yellow Coneflower.) Echinacea purpurea is probably the species best known to Eastern gardeners, although it is not a common wild plant in this part of the country, being more abundant once you cross the Appalachians. Even the wild straight species of this coneflower looks great in a garden setting. The typical pink-purple rays surround bright orange cones, atop stems 3-5 feet tall. If you watch the flowers open over the course of a few days, you will notice that initially the rays are held in a nearly horizontal plane and the central disk is quite flat. Then as the flower develops, the rays start to droop, the disk takes on its conical shape, and the whole flower assumes that badminton birdie look. I’ve heard some people object to the droopy phase of the flowers, and plant breeders have attempted to address this. Also, at least one person told me she could not abide pink combined with orange. (Hey, those are the corporate colors of Dunkin Donuts, one of my favorite fat forms!) So, in the last few years, breeders have brought a whole slew of new colors to the coneflowers, so let’s see what’s out there. Much of the breeding involves crossing the yellow and purple coneflowers, or even bringing the white form of the coneflower into the mix. The Saul family of Georgia has produced many culti- vars; their ‘Katie Saul’ features flowers that are peach toward the tips, but grade toward cherry red near the cone. If you favor a bright orange flower, look for Echinacea ‘Evan Saul’ at the garden center. E. ‘Sunrise’ is good for those with more subtle tastes, with buttery-yellow flowers. This has also proven to be a very sturdy plant and a good rebloomer. E. ‘Mango Meadowbrite’ is another subtle color, not as intense as actual mango flesh. If you want white coneflowers, there are a few varieties available, including the new ‘Virgin,’ the frilly petals surrounding a fragrant dark green cone. And for those looking for another way to avoid the pink-with-orange problem, there is ‘Pink Double Delight,’ with pink petals around a pink center. As with many plants, someone is always trying to make a shorter Echinacea. One is ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’ from the Chicago Botanic Garden, the result of a three-way cross of E. purpurea, tennesseensis and angustifolia that tops out at 18 inches. This little coneflower also holds its petals in a more horizontal position, a bonus for those averse to the typical drooping. Aside from their neat looks, coneflowers are also very undemanding to grow. They’re not fussy as to soil and actually prefer that it not be too rich, so hold off on any amendments and fertilizers. Once established, they are drought tolerant and also rank pretty low on the menu as deer food. (Incidentally, if any of you have particular plants that do well against deer, I would like to hear about it. Contact me at charles [email protected].) Perhaps the major issue with maintaining coneflowers is the abundance of offspring. At least on the plain old Echinacea purpurea, you will have many seedlings, although they will not flower until their second year. (The fancy hybrids will not usually produce viable seed.) The obvious solution: pull them up and try to find them new homes, although at some point you will run out of willing recipients. Alternatively, you can deadhead your flowers and avoid the problem in the first place. The downside to this: you will be depriving goldfinches of a major food source in the fall. You could compromise by removing most of your spent flowers, while still leaving a few for the birds. After all, I would really miss the cheerful chortle of those little yellow guys as they swoop through my garden. I hope you will enjoy coneflowers as much as I do, whether they remind you of hedgehogs, sea urchins—or Dunkin Donuts! Destination Imagination —continued from page 12 “switching” to a different orientation and placing weights on it again. Their structure supported more weight at the state competition held at WAHS on April 5 than any other team in Virginia, including 4 high school teams and a team from JMU. In addition, they wrote and performed a skit around the breaking of the structure, about sculptures in a modern art festival. They were chosen to represent Virginia at the DI Globals competition in Knoxville. Many generous donations from the Crozet community, including from the White Hall Ruritans and The Green Olive Tree, allowed the team to go to Tennessee. Crozet gazette page 16 s JUly 2008 IT Help Desk Information Upgrade Internet Connection Options by Mike Elliot With gas prices showing no signs of dropping anytime soon, all of us are having to rethink our traveling. For me, this means fewer trips into town and certainly second thoughts about a few of the trips I’d hoped to take this summer. Another area that’s getting a lot of attention is cost savings from changing driving habits to and from work. This could mean carpooling, taking public transportation (if available) or even not going to work. I know some people who’ve moved to a four-day-a-week schedule where they work 10-hour days to “get in their time.” (I think measuring productivity by time alone is silly, but I’ll talk about that in a column when I’ve run out of tech topics to ramble about.) I’m hoping to reduce travel into work by working at home a little—telecommuting. For me, this could work because 90 percent of what I do I can do on my notebook computer, or I can get access to any of the systems at work over the Internet by going through a “Virtual Private Network.” A VPN allows me to use my high-speed Internet connection as the conduit for private transfer of information to and from my work network. This brings me to the topic of this month’s column: high-speed Internet. Do you know what your choices are for getting high-speed Internet service? Do you have any choices? I’m lucky. In my neighborhood, I have at least three options for high-speed Internet and maybe more. I can get near instant access to the computing resources I need access to at my work and I experience excellent response times on most sites around the Web. However, not everyone is so fortunate. My parents, for example, live in a rural area and have just recently managed to obtain a wireless Internet connection that far exceeds the speeds of dial-up and, adding to the good news, the connection is always on. Let’s start with some background in what all the options are. I’ll assume that you have a computer at home and you’d like to connect to the Internet at the fastest available speed. You’re probably familiar with the two primary classifications of Internet connections, “dial-up” and “broadband.” Dial-up is the way most of us started accessing the Internet, which required us to “dial-up” the service provider using a modem connected directly to our telephone line. “Broadband” is used to describe newer technologies that provide higher-bandwidth (and thus, higher speed) connections and although some of them may use the telephone cable, they don’t tie up your telephone while they’re working. We’ve also referred to this type of connection as “Always On,” but that’s almost a given outside of the world of dial-up access. Starting at the top-end, a fiber-optic connection to your home from a communications company will give you the best Internet speed available, outside of purchasing a dedicated communications line that larger businesses often use. But this option doesn’t yet exist in my neighborhood in Crozet, and probably not in yours yet either. The big communications companies are making progress, but they’re starting in larger cities first and will get to our town in their own time. One step down are either cable or DSL connections. Both options have become widely available and can provide more than adequate speed to do most tasks. They are often available at different tiers that provide greater speeds at higher prices. I’ve been a long-time cable connection user, which runs me about $40 per month over and above my cable TV service and although I’ve had various problematic interruptions in service since moving in seven years ago, it has pretty well stabilized in the last year or so and only rarely goes out. The next step down is somewhat significant, but improving at a faster rate than all others. That is wireless broadband using either dedicated wireless modems or a connection that piggy-backs on your mobile phone to access wireless Internet service using the cellular phone network. Now this is different than Wi-Fi and the services available in coffee shops and Panera Bread (one of my favorite places since it offers FREE Wi-Fi Internet access). Those sites provide a wireless local area network connection that still gets linked to the Internet with one of the methods we’ve discussed here. This wireless category has the greatest potential to address the Internet service needs of the largest group of people who still can’t get DSL or cable Internet services in their location. In the simplest case, the Internet connection is made directly to your computer using a smaller-than-a-cell-phone device that plugs into a USB port and renders decent Internet access. I’ve used this very effectively from the sidelines of a soccer game in town to address a critical problem at work. It’s awesome. I’m not going to get into satellite connections. From everything I’ve heard, they’re not worth the effort or expense. If you suffer from slow Internet connection speed, investigate the options in your area starting with local cell phone carriers. I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is now to get high-speed Internet service, even if you didn’t think it was available in your area before now. If you don’t have any options, I’d like to hear from you … but I only take email at this point, so use that dialup account and drop me a line at [email protected]. Next issue, I’ll briefly discuss WiMax and LTE and go into measuring your effective Internet connection speeds and look at some initiatives going on to increase the availability of broadband Internet access to all Virginians. June 14 Guitar duo David Bailey & David Ferrall Music 1-3 p.m. Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 17 Young Triathletes Challenge Themselves in Tough Races By Nick Ward Shortly after the sun rose on the morning of June 29, 110 local children arrived at Crozet Park to compete in the annual Crozet Youth Triathlon. The parking lot was full, cones were placed throughout the park and the surrounding neighborhoods to mark the running and biking courses, and parents and fans alike were beginning to gather along the edges of the competition area to cheer on all of the brave young souls who decided to spend their Sunday morning straining their bodies with three different strenuous activities. The race was divided up into different age groups, and the top male and female finisher in each group would be crowned champion. Because of the extreme difficulty of a triathlon, the younger age groups were not expected to cover as much ground and water as the older athletes. The 7- through 10-year-olds swam one hundred meters, while the 11- through 14-year-olds swam two hundred. The younger group of boys and girls cycled two miles and ran half a mile, and the older group of competitors biked four miles and ran one mile. The gun rang to start the race at 8 a.m. sharp, and the first heat of athletes began their race in the swimming pool. Every eight minutes another group of swimmers was ushered into the pool to begin their race, and each athlete’s time was kept up with separately. After swimming their allotted distance, a barefooted jog awaited them to the transition area between the swim and the cycling events. Once on his or her bike, each athlete pedaled down Hill Top Street and bore left onto High Street. Another left hand turn—the bully curve—awaited the athletes at the corner of High Street and Park Road, and then competitors sped down a long straight stretch on Park until reaching Claudius Court. From Claudius the cyclists turned onto Brookwood, then onto Jamestown, and back onto Park, which would lead them back to the pool where they began. The older group of athletes completed this loop twice and started their mile-long run which would ultimately end in front of the entrance to the pool. The younger group completed the biking loop once and embarked on their halfmile route which also ended at the entrance to Crozet Pool. Alex Simpson crossed the finish line first with the best overall time. Simpson’s friend and classmate, Kevin Burns, finished close behind in second place. “I feel great. I love winning, winning is the best,” said Simpson after You’re Invited to a Party on the Lawn at Carriage Park A New Neighborhood in Old Trail Saturday, July 12th, 3—6pm Village (Rain Date: Sunday, July 13th, 3—6pm) — Free and open to the public — Turn onto Old Trail Drive from Route 250; follow the signs to Carriage Park Moon Bounce Water Toys Ice Cream Face Painting Fun for kids of all ages! MARKETED EXCLUSIVELY BY: www.O ldTrailVillage .com Alex Simpson (Photo by Jim Copony) his great race. Burns was very happy with his performance as well, saying, “I think I did about ten minutes better than last year.” Although Simpson had the top time, many more champions arose as the race wore on. Lexi Campbell won the girls 13-14-year-old group. In the 11-12-year-old group, Christopher Ferguson won the boys crown and Madison Kline won the girls. Samuel Holstege had the best time for a 9-10-year-old boy, and Madalyn Messier had the best time for a girl in that age group. In the youngest age group, 7-8 years old, Sam Neale won the boys race and Emily Eagleson won the girls. page 18 s JUly 2008 Crozet gazette Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 19 Photo by Jim Copony Crozet gazette page 20 s JUly 2008 Old School—continued from page 1 and participants were given green dot stickers to apply next to options that they wanted to endorse. Among the proposals were: a charter school, a cultural arts center (which had the heaviest density of stickers), a museum, affordable housing, athletic fields, a recycling center, a police station, a community market, a band shell, community garden spots, a satellite county office building, a teen center, a skate park, a movie theater, a coffee house, a site for Piedmont Virginia Community College and Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center classes, a home for scout meetings, condos, a YMCA branch, a place for musicians to jam, a fruit study center, a tourism center, artist exhibition space, an indoor pool, a recording studio, an electricity-producing windmill tower, a bowling alley, a thrift store, a crisis shelter, or as an expansion site for the current Crozet Elementary School across the street. “A lot of the things on the list wouldn’t be consistent with [County] policy on the use of that property,” observed PMA’s Jeff Stodghill, who is heading the study. PMA has done school planning for large counties, as well as other types of building conversions, he said, and brings a “systems approach.” But with that, he added, “change one component, like gas or diesel cost, and you’re looking at changing policy.” The firm is engaged in historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects in several Virginia towns and cities, notably Kilmarnock’s dramatically refurbished main street. Stodghill said he has designed both schools and community centers. Stodghill described the old school as “a typical early 20th-century wood and masonry Virginia Board of Education school designed for grades Kindergarten through 11. It’s almost a pattern design that you see across the state in different places. It’s not significant historically from an architectural standpoint. Its standing in the community is more important. It’s rare that these buildings are reused and rehabilitated. And that’s why it may be eligible for an historic preservation program. Federal tax credits would really soften the costs [of renovation].” With proper legal and accounting controls, county governments can sell the credits to private investors to raise construction money, he said. Newport News and Roanoke have done it. “We’ll take the concepts back and have a follow-up meeting,” Stodghill explained. “We’ll take the ideas and make them concise alternatives and attach some costs for each concept and look at feasibility and possibilities for implementation. The intent is to provide the County Board [of Supervisors] information on what the Crozet community said and what the options would mean. It’s a general analysis. We’re not shaping up any one specific project. “Sometimes you end up with a heavy consensus on one or two options. We’re getting community expression that’s very general and wide-ranging. There’s not a single solution that everyone’s gravitating to.” The next day PMA architects were back for a day-long drop-in session where the public could talk to them and see concepts played with in sketches. County Deputy Parks Director Bob Crickenberger and his boss Pat Mulaney, both Crozet residents, were investigating what might happen if the property were added to those they manage. They wanted to know if a regulation school playing field would fit on it, something in the order of 160 feet by 350 feet, what Crickenberger referred to as an “NFL footprint.” “You could easily get a soccer field in [the area between the creek and the school],” replied Stodghill, going over the site drawings with a triangular architect’s rule. “Plus a green embankment and landscaping. “In my experience, if people want to save a building it ends up being assigned to parks and rec,” Stodghill said. “That’s why we’re here,” said Mulaney soberly. He and Crickenberger toyed with using the school as a parks office and perhaps maintenance shed. They weren’t interested in the newer classroom wing particularly. They asked about a commercial-grade playground, “like you have at elementary schools,” and Stodghill, swinging his ruler through different angles, confirmed that two more baseball fields fit as well as a playground. In fact they are already there. It turns out the people who laid out the school were as smart as we are. “Should the basketball courts go?” asked Mulaney. He said neighbors had complained about having to listen to cussing during pick-up games. “Above all we want field space.” “Re-use has to deliver a product equivalent to spaces today,” said Stodghill. “You have to think beyond just sprucing it up. “Try to avoid a middle-of-the-road solution. What happens next is you get some bad news during the implementation phase and nobody’s happy.” Suffolk converted an old high school into a cultural arts center, he said, and Powhatan made an old school into a government center. Those two outcomes got sketched by PMA architect Rob Crawshaw. The cultural center had gardens and dance and studio art spaces. Stodghill saw issues with where to enter the building. As for a school use, Stodgehill said, “That’s doable. Being across the street makes it hard.” The next day wrapped up with a presentation of sketches. PMA’s report on feasible options is expected to be presented to the Supervisors in September. We’ve moved the Crozet office! Please visit us in our beautiful new facility located in Shoppes at Clover Lawn (above UVA Credit Union) Conveniently located on Route 250 across from Blue Ridge Builders Supply. Same friendly, personal service. Same gentle, friendly dental care. Your comfort is our #1 concern. Jim Rice DDS • Jennifer Rice DDS Sherman Smock DDS (Specialist in Periodontics) 434.823.2290 crozet 325 Four Leaf Lane, Suite 10 Sedation Denistry • Complete, Modern Denistry for Adults, Teens and Children Dental Cleanings, all types • White Fillings • Caps (Crowns), Bridges, Veneers Root Canals • Implants • 1 Hour Bleaching Nellysford 2905 Rockfish Valley Hwy 434.361.2442 Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 21 Chilled Cantaloupe Soup with Mint and Lime By Cathy Berry [Three Notch’d Grill] This recipe can be prepared in 30 minutes or less but requires additional chilling time. Makes about 8 cups, Serving 8 Ingredients : 2 ripe cantaloupes, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup plain yogurt 1 cup ice water ¾ cup fresh orange juice 2 limes juiced and zested ¼ cup honey 1cup mint leaves ½ teaspoon salt Generous pinch of cayenne Preparation: Put half of cantaloupe into a blender along with yogurt, ice water, orange juice, lime juice and zest and puree until smooth Add remaining ingredients to puree – cantaloupe, salt, cayenne and mint and blend until smooth Chill until cold, at least 2 hours Serve soup garnished with mint Summer’s Big Events Beach Party Vacation Bible School Sun., July 27 - Thurs., July 31 5:30 - Pre-VBS dinner 6:00 - 8:15 - VBS Activities Please register (online or by phone) so we’ll have plenty of supplies! www.HBCnet.org - 823.1505 Hillsboro’s Women’s Ministry presents Beth Moore Simulcast Living Proof Live 2008 Friday, August 1 & Saturday, August 2 Tickets are $30 - limited seating Call Hillsboro at 823.1505 or email [email protected] Be a part of this encouraging, intimate gathering of women for study, inspiration, and fellowship at Hillsboro! Summer Sunday Schedule: Summer Worship Themes: 9:00a Bible Study - 10:00a Worship Spiritual MythBusters - June 8 to July 13 A Trip to the Islands - July 20 - August 24 Greenwood—continued from page 1 Gap, up around to Swannanoa, including three historic roads, all four of Claudius Crozet’s tunnels and over 100 historic properties. It includes parts of Route 637 toward Batesville but not to Batesville. While the total area currently includes some 14,000 acres, Committee member Doug Gilpin, says this project is “much smaller than one recently approved (85,000 acres) in southern Albemarle County.” Jennifer Hallock, whose firm Arcadia Preservation, LLC has been recruited by the committee in a consulting and managerial capacity to assist them in achieving National and State Register designation, said the historic district achievement would be an “honorary designation” and would impose no obligation on property owners within it. Designation would make property owners eligible for tax credits if they were to rehabilitate certified historic buildings in the district voluntarily according to the rules intended to preserve their historic character. “It’s a dollar-for-dollar tax credit,” Hallock says. Owners of residential properties would be eligible for a state income tax credit equivalent to 25 per cent of the total certified rehabilitation cost. For those landowners with income-producing properties, a 20 percent federal income tax credit would also be available. “Commercial properties can piggyback the credits and get back 45 percent of their expenses,” says Hallock. “The regulations for obtaining tax credits are not so stringent as to be hard to surmount. You can have additions to a structure that don’t overwhelm the original part.” Relying on private funding to employ Arcadia Preservation LLC, and to meet other expenses involved in achieving the Historic District designation, the committee has established a non-profit affiliate, Western Albemarle Association, comprised of interested residents within the area. Establishment of this nonprofit arm will allow contributors to the Historic District continued on page 30 page 22 s JUly 2008 Crozet gazette Graceworks Bridges the Gap As Julie Baker was driving her kids to soccer practice, she noticed groups of young kids loitering at the side of the road in the less affluent neighborhoods she was passing through. They weren’t going to soccer practice, just looking for ways to pass time until supper. They had forlorn looks on their faces. The childhood opportunity gap came home to her and she decided she had to do something about it. That was more than seven years ago. Now, during the school year, she teaches English to seniors at Western Albemarle High School in the mornings and then dashes home to her farm in Ivy to run Graceworks, her attempt to close the gap for some local kids who are stuck on its bottom side by giving them a chance to do the things they see other well-off kids getting to do. It’s been frustrating and tiring and expensive and she’s not even sure it’s making any impact. Maybe it’s just a sand castle. But she keeps trying. She has help, staff members Kate Beach and Brian White, and the active help of her family. Baker has five children of her own. They plan activities, handle the related logistics, supervise and control kids, and follow-up with the kids’ parents and teachers. Beach handles the food issues. White does a lot of driving, getting the kids from their schools to “the barn,” a handsome new timber frame building on the Bakers’ farm, Chinquapin Hill, where most activities take place. One of the key issues in the opportunity gap, she said, is transportation. Graceworks gets the kids, takes them places, and brings them back home. The kids are fourth- and fifth-graders from Greer and Agnor-Hurt elementary schools. They have been identified by school guidance counselors or county family support workers as children who would benefit from the program. They stay in for two years. There are two groups, one that comes on Mondays and Tuesdays after school and another that comes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Parent sign permission releases and waivers when their kids join. The kids are taken home at 5:30. “It’s kids who will be OK in a group,” Baker explained. “We can’t handle kids who are belligerent or have emotional problems. They can’t handle a group structure.” Some kids have been removed for recalcitrant bullying. Baker tries to get enough kids of the same sex that they can play team sport, namely basketball at the YMCA. “We have a real team,” noted Baker. “We lost every game, but next year we’ll win some. The kids don’t have discipline and don’t listen at practices. It’s challenging to deal with the attitude. We try to teach perseverance. Finally, the idea of responsibility and accountability comes through.” Kids finish their homework first when they get to the barn. They get “stars” for helping out, “strikes” for misbehaving. Three stars will get you into the pool party or in the group that goes to see the Harlem Globetrotters. At the end of the afternoon, the kids sit down for a family meal. They set and clear the table and good manners are stressed. Each child has to describe the high and the low moment of their day. “The Golden Rule gets a heavy emphasis here,” said Baker. They pray before every meal and the program observes Christmas and Easter. “I think faith should be part of it,” she said. “I’ve been upfront with the schools about it, though at first I didn’t stress it.” “Bless this food and let’s have a great day!” was the table grace offered at snack time, which was yogurt, corn chips and melon and cantaloupe. Graceworks stresses healthy eating and exercise. Some of the kids are already overweight. On the wall near the wide plank table in the barn (it is finished inside as nicely as a house) is a chore wheel that kids spin to see which task it will be their turn to do that day. Chores include taking out the trash, sweeping up, serving dinners, pouring drinks, collecting eggs from the farm hens and being Leader of the Day. “They help with the food, cooking and chopping stuff,” said Beach, approvingly. Some of what they eat is grown in a garden they help tend nearby. The school year was about over and it was the last day of Graceworks for the year. There would be a pool party after their snack, followed by a pizza dinner. They had been keeping scrapbooks all year and they would close those out today, too. Inside were pictures of them with their friends, or fishing, cooking, painting, or at archery. They had certificates of accomplishment in them. The books would come back with them next year to get filled out more. Weeks earlier, they had planted herbs in clay pots that they had written their names on and now those were ready to go home, too. The kids have a lot they like about Graceworks (besides getting cakes on their birthdays). Among their favorite things, they said, were swimming at ACAC, picking apples at Carter’s Mountain, playing soccer together, canoeing and archery, planting the garden and taking care of baby chicks. That day the favorite thought was the pool party. The day before it had been fishing in the big farm pond. Other activities include hiking, learning knitting, pottery, rock climbing, painting and photography. Volunteers and the Bakers’ neighbors help put on the events and projects. Doing all this has been costing Baker about $40,000 per year, she acknowledged. She’s gotten some private donations, some contributions from churches and now for the first time grants from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation and Dave Mathews Band’s Bama Fund. “We get mostly good feedback from the schools,” said Baker. “They give us honest feedback. Sometimes we should have been more proactive with communication. The boys often start out out of control. Now we see them carrying dishes, saying ‘please’ and complimenting their friends. We up their standard of behavior and we won’t tolerate bad behavior. We’re after a sense of responsibility and accountability and gratitude. You have to have an adult male there to handle boys. It’s just the truth.” “Watch me! Watch me!” shouted kids as they jumped in the coolish water. Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 23 Crozet Library Book Club The Crozet Library Book Club’s selection for Monday, July 7, will be The Bridge of San Luis Rey, first published by noted Midwestern author Thornton Wilder in 1927. Wilder, best known for his play Our Town (1938), won a Pulitzer Prize for this short, intense novel that is still read today in many school and college classrooms. Do our lives unfold according to a plan, or are the events that shape them the result of pure chance? Are we put on earth for a purpose, or are we merely the victims of accident? This question, as enigmatic and compelling today as it was when Wilder wrote his brilliant gem of a novel, is what Brother Juniper sets out to answer after a rope bridge collapses near Lima, Peru in July, 1714, killing five seemingly random people. Were they really random, he asks, or were they on that bridge at that precise moment for a reason? Why these five? As one might suspect, Brother Juniper believes the deaths had meaning, and sets out to prove it by examining the victims’ lives in detail and recording the results of his interviews and examination of documents in this book. In this way, Wilder sets the reader up to expect a didactic, predictable religious tract, a set of examples that prove what Brother Juniper already believes: that everything happens according to a plan. And so it is that we—the reader—follow the lives of three idiosyncratic adults, two of whom carried children across the bridge, from their childhoods right up to the moment when they started across the bridge on that fateful day which was to be their last. Against the exotic backdrop of 18th century Peru, which the author points out was still a frontier of Spanish culture in the New World at that time, Wilder fully develops these three loosely-connected and, on the surface at least, very different characters. The Marquesa de Montemayor is a wealthy but bitter aristocrat who pours out her unrequited love for her faraway daughter in elegantly written letters which later come to be viewed as great literature. Esteban is a devoted orphan who loses his will to live after his twin brother, Manuel, dies of a leg wound (the most moving portrait, drawn in part from Wilder’s experience of losing his own twin brother). Uncle Pio, the illegitimate child of an aristocratic Castilian, runs away to become a jack-of-all-trades and ultimately devotes his life to nurturing the celebrated theatrical star Camila Perichole. In concise and elegant language that reads almost like fable, Wilder sandwiches the three chapters that relate these three lives— along with their unexpected points of connection—between the frame of Juniper’s question and his attempted answer. But the ultimate strength and power of the book lies in the fact that Wilder presents his characters with so much complexity, and relates the aftermath of the accident and the results of Brother Juniper’s quest with such depth of reflection, that the reader does not come away with a definitive answer but is left to puzzle out his/her own conclusions from the evidence. We are left thinking about it long after the last page is turned. It is as if Wilder’s entire book is a fleshingout of his original question, the full Graceworks—continued from page 22 The sky was darkening and rain was threatening. Some of them felt better clutching an inflatable ring. They piled on the adults, thrashing and splashing, and screamed for attention. For some it was their first chance ever to jump off a diving board. It didn’t count if it wasn’t seen by somebody else. Then they toweled off and sat in the kitchen for supper. A flashy bouquet of peonies sat on the table. There were a variety of pizzas and carrots, fresh pineapple chunks, watermelon wedges and fruit juices. Everybody’s high of the day was the swimming fun. Everybody’s low was that Graceworks was over until fall. They signed cards for Ms. Beach and Mr. White saying how much they appreciated all they had done. Beach responded with a motherly affection. White, playful but authoritative, was organizing the van trip home. Baker was looking forward to a couple of months of recuperation. But for a moment there was still the glow in the room from happy children. “I’m a big believer in grace and the work of grace,” said Baker softly. by Clover Taylor weight and import of which we realize only at the end of the book. Yes, events may happen for a purpose and according to a plan—but that plan is not fully discernible to the human mind. What makes a work of literature a classic is its universality, its originality, and the quality of its writing. The Bridge of San Luis Rey excels on all counts, most notably the last. I have to admit that I enjoyed this book much more as an adult than when I was required to read it in high school, when my limited understanding led me to dislike it. What struck me most this time around, and what makes the book such a treasure, is the beauty of the language and the nuggets of philosophical wisdom buried within the narrative. Had each of the three characters reached a point where they were ready to die? Were their deaths the only way to convince others—their children, parents, lovers—to truly appreciate them? Or had they finally learned the meaning of true love? Sally Johns, in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, offers one satisfying explanation. “Their stories reveal a common theme: each had focused obsessively on an object of affection who either could not or did not reciprocate; the extensiveness of the obsession resulted in spiritual isolation from the rest of humanity. Shortly before traveling over the bridge, each had awakened to the folly of such an obsession and had set out in a new direction, attempting to make recompense.” In his conclusion to the book, Wilder offers his own memorable interpretation through the reflection of the Madre Maria del Pilar, the Mother Superior of the convent, who knew and understood all the characters affected by this sudden calamity. “But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth,” muses the Mother Superior at the end of the book, “and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them….There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.” Newcomers are always welcome to attend the Crozet Library Book Club, which meets from 7:00-8:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month (with a break in August) and has an average attendance of 20-25. Crozet Library Steering Committee Appointed The Albemarle County Supervisors have appointed a Crozet Library Steering Committee to oversee the design development of the new town library. Members are : Bryan Elliott, Assistant County Executive Pamela Grammer, Crozet library patron John Halliday, Jefferson/Madison Regional Library Director Kathleen Jump (Crozet Community Association) Russell (Mac) Lafferty (Downtown Crozet Association) Bill Letteri, Director of Facilities Development (chairman) Thomas Loach, Planning Commission Ann Mallek, Board of Supervisors Wendy Saz, Crozet Library Branch Library Manager William (Bill) Schrader, Crozet Library Fundraising Committee Charlotte Self, PVCC Library Director of Circulation Terry Tereskerz, Crozet Community Advisory Council Sally Thomas, Board of Supervisors Tim Tolson, Jefferson/Madison Regional Library Board Member Formal design of the 20,000-square-foot library is expected to take place throughout 2009, with bidding for construction held in December and construction beginning in the spring of 2010. The new library is scheduled to open in the summer of 2011. It is expected to be certified according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] “green building” standards. Crozet gazette page 24 s JUly 2008 WAHS 2008 Graduates Courtesy of The Western Hemisphere BRENNA BROADUS Denison University BRENNAN DOUGHERTY Old Dominion University STEPHANIE ADAMS Radford University ANDREW BUTTERWORTH Manchester College KEVIN DUBOVSKY Virginia Commonwealth University CATHERINE ADKINS University of Virginia MARSHALL BUXTON Fordham University TAYLOR DUDLEY James Madison University HOLLY ALBERTSON University of Virginia LAURA CAMPBELL Washington and Lee University TESSA EVANS Lynchburg College JEFFREY ALBRIGHT University of Virginia BRIAN CAREW University of Colorado at Boulder MONIKA FALLON George Mason University KIRSTEN ABRAHAM Virginia Commonwealth University PATRICK CARRUTHERS Traveling EVA FARRELL University of North Carolina at Wilmington JESSICA CARTER Brigham Young University TAYLOR FELLOWS Lynchburg College PAIGE ARMSTRONG University of British Columbia MARK CASTLE James Madison University CHRISTINE ASH Piedmont Virginia Community College ROSS CATON Undecided ANDREW FICKLEY The College of William and Mary ANNA ALMY University of Oregon MEGAN ANDREWS Piedmont Virginia Community College CHRISTOPHER AWKARD Piedmont Virginia Community College JESSICA BABER Piedmont Virginia Community College KENNETH BAILES III US Air Force JULIANNE BAR Virginia Commonwealth University WALTBARBER James Madison University TESSA BARBERA Piedmont Virginia Community College LIBBY BARGER University of South Carolina KACY BASSIGNANI James Madison University ANDREAS BASTIAN University of Virginia SHANNON BAYLISS University of Virginia FORD BECHTLE University of Northern Colorado RAYMOND BEST JR Old Dominion University KAITLIN BEVERLY Piedmont Virginia Community College AUSTIN BLAKE Northern Virginia Community College HOLLY BLECK University of Virginia CALLUM BOGGS James Madison University CATHERYN BOWMAN Virginia Tech MITCHELL BOWSER The College of Wooster DUSTIN BOWYER Old Dominion University BRIANA BRENNAN Virginia Commonwealth University BENJAMIN CHERNIAWSKI Virginia Tech THOMAS FICKLEY George Mason University BENJAMIN FITTS University of Virginia MARY CHIARELLA Blue Ridge Community College MATTHEW FITZGERALD Working SARAH CLUGSTON University of Virginia MITCHELL FITZGERALD Piedmont Virginia Community College RYAN HAMMER National Outdoor Leadership School in New Zealand THOMAS LEACH Unknown TYLER LEWANDOWSKI Virginia Tech MATTHEW MOON Working JOHN HAWK Virginia Tech JAKE LINDSAY University of Virginia JOHN MOORS Lafayette College ROBIN HAYES Art Institute of Philadelphia HENRY LOEHR George Mason University DOMINIQUE HENRY Virginia State University TOMAS LOYA Unknown CIERRA MORRIS Piedmont Virginia Community College ROBIN HICKS Piedmont Virginia Community College JORDAN LYNN Villanova University HEATHER HASTINGS Piedmont Virginia Community College PRESTON HILL JR Year Off ELIZABETH HORN Unknown KAITLIN HOWELL George Mason University BILLIE HUCKSTEP Piedmont Virginia Community College JONATHAN HUGHES Virginia State University KAYLA INGERSOLL Virginia Commonwealth University BETH FOSTER Hamilton College BRIAN FOX Working SYLVIE JOBES University of Virginia MATTHEW GALVIN Cabrini College CAMERON JOHNSON University of Virginia BRITTANY GEARING Unknown CHRISTINE JONES University of Richmond COLLEEN CROWLEY Mary Baldwin College BRAD GENTRY Piedmont Virginia Community College MEGAN DABNEY Blue Ridge Community College COURTNEY GENTRY Working ASHLEE JONESHOWARD Piedmont Virginia Community College LENA DAVIS Hollins University STEVEN GEORGE Longwood University TORY DAWSON Savannah College of Art and Design WILLIAM GILRAIN James Madison University DANIEL CORLEY Piedmont Virginia Community College COLLEEN COZART Denison University MEGAN CRAWFORD James Madison University RACHEL DE JONG James Madison University PATRICIA DEALE Radford University SUNNY DEBUTTS Old Dominion University MATTHEW DENTONEDMUNDSON Unknown DUSTIN DOLLENS Year Off MARKWOOD DOLLENS Piedmont Virginia Community College MACKENZIE DOSS Washington and Lee University SADEEKA DOSU California State University: Sacramento ZUBAIR DOSU Kansas State University ERIN DOTSON University of Virginia at Wise MICHAEL GOEKE University of Alabama AARON GOLDBERG Virginia Tech JUSTIN GOOLSBY Working SAMANTHA GOOLSBY Year Off MEREDITH GOULD University of Virginia SCOUT GRAHAM Year off BRENNING GREENFIELD Virginia Commonwealth University ELIZABETH GROGAN St. Lawrence University MIRANDA GROVE Virginia Tech DAVID HADWIN Undecided KELLY MILLER Lynchburg College MICHAEL MONTGOMERY Piedmont Virginia Community College QAIS HANIFI University of Wisconsin CHRISTOPHER JACKSON Piedmont Virginia Community College JAMES CONNALLY Virginia Commonwealth University GINNY LAYNEMAHANES Piedmont Virginia Community College MIRANDA KAUFMANWALDRON Emory University DANIELA-ROSA KEY Piedmont Virginia Community College SARAH KING Piedmont Virginia Community College NOLAN LYNN Marymount University RUBYANA LYON George Mason University MARSH MAHON Piedmont Virginia Community College HANNAH MANGUM University of Virginia ALEXANDER MANN University of Mississippi GRACE MANNO Virginia Commonwealth University ELIZABETH MANZELLA University of Virginia BENJAMYN MARKS Rochester Institute of Technology JOSHUA MARKS Rochester Institute of Technology IAN LAMB Ithaca College ROGER LAMB Unknown LAURA LAYNE Virginia School of Massage LAINE MYERS Virginia Commonwealth University ANJALI NANDA University of Virginia RACHEL NEFF Longwood University CHAD NELSON University of Virginia at Wise MICHAEL NGUYEN North Carolina State University MARK NICHOLSON Ohio State University GRACE NOLAN University Kentucky BRITTANY OLSON Piedmont Virginia Community College JOSHUA MARTIN Working ANNE PARENT JUSTIN MARTIN Unknown JULIA PARKER Virginia Tech EDWARD MARTIN JR Piedmont Virginia Community College DANIEL PARMELEE James Madison University SCOTT MASSELLI Virginia Tech JORDAN MAUPIN Longwood University HEATHER MAYO Unknown MIRANDA LACY Longwood University ELINOR MYERS Old Dominion University ISABELLE MARSHALL University of Mary Washington KELLY KNAPP University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill GABRIEL KOSOWITZ James Madison University CORINNE MURPHY Virginia Commonwealth University DANIEL NOONAN Merchant Marine Academy RALPH MAUPIN JR Unknown PATRICK KNAUS Old Dominion University KELLIANNE MULLIN Randolph Macon College ZACHARY MAROTTA New York University SKYLER KITCHEN Longwood University LUCAS KNAUS Piedmont Virginia Community College ELEANOR MULLEN University of Georgia KEVIN MCCRORY The College of William and Mary ELIZABETH MCGILL Unknown ALEC MCHUGH Piedmont Virginia Community College KEITH MEADOWS Piedmont Virginia Community College SEAN MESLAR Unknown ALISON MILLER Year Off KEITH MILLER James Madison University ADAM PASCHALL Year Off BRITTANY PATTERSON Averett University WALKER PERFATER Unknown JENNIFER PERRY Virginia Western Community College LARS PETTYGROVE Denison University MAX PFEIFER University Notre Dame KRISTINA PIETRO George Mason University CONOR PRATT University of New Mexico CHRISTOPHER PUGH Working LUCY QUINN College of Charleston MELISSA RABIN Virginia Commonwealth University Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 25 NICHOLAS RAGOSTA Brown University ALEXIS SWANSON Michigan State University LEANN RAINES Undecided QUIN SWEENEY University of North Carolina Wilmington JOSEPH RAINEY Piedmont Virginia Community College KASEY RANDLE Piedmont Virginia Community College SARAH TEPLITZKY Temple University CAMERON THOMAS West Virginia University Graduate Awards for Excellence Art Colleen Cozart Band Kaitlin Howell KATHERINE READ University of Virginia JAMES THOMAS University of Colorado at Boulder BRIDGET REISER University of Pittsburgh WILLIAM THRANE Old Dominion University TESSIE REYNOLDS Johnson and Wales University JENNIFER TREACY Year Off Computer Assisted Drafting Miranda Grove DAVID RHODES JR undecided TYLER TREVILLIAN Campbell University ELIZABETH ROGERS Longwood University ALEXANDRA TRIANA University of Virginia Crafts Erin Dotson MICHAEL ROPER George Mason University JIM VALE Virginia Tech SAMANTHA ROSE Marshall University KELLEY VAN DILLA Vassar College ROBIN SALISBURY Working HANS VERKERKE Parasitology Research CHAS SANDRIDGE Lynchburg College BILLY VIAR Working JACOB SCHMITT Temple University MARIA VOLBERG University of Mary Washington MARY SCHWARTZ George Mason University DAVID VONHEMERT University of Virginia at Wise MACKLIN SCHWOEBEL University of Utah ALICE WAGNER University of Mary Washington MOLLY SCHWOEBEL Cabrini College GERALD WALSH III Denison University Orchestra Sean Meslar SAMUEL SCHWOEBEL Randolph Macon University ALEXANDER WARD US Coast Guard CAPRICE SERAFINI James Madison University NICHOLAS WARD University of Virginia Photography Kevin McCrory DAVID SLACK Longwood University STEPHANIE WARREN University of Georgia JEFFREY SMITH Virginia Commonwealth University LAWLER WATKINS James Madison University ALEXANDRA SOULIOTIS St. Joseph’s University ERIC SPARKS Piedmont Virginia Community College NOAA SPIEKERMANN University of Virginia ANDREW STAFFORD Piedmont Virginia Community College MORGAN STALNAKER Unknown TAYLOR STARNS Guilford College ANTHONY STEPPE Working BAILEY STEWART University of Virginia ALEXANDER STRAUME Piedmont Virginia Community College CHARLES STUMP III Colorado State University AMBER SULLIVAN Unknown JORDAN SUMMERS Traveling and Volunteering Choir Jennifer Perry English Kelly Knapp French and Social Studies Elizabeth Webb • Ice Cream Made from Scratch — 8 Flavors Daily Latin Alice Wright • Cold Soups using Veggies from Local Farms Marketing Jessica Baber Mathematics Conor Pratt Science Andreas Bastian Spanish Sylvie Jobes Technology Education Michael Goeke TOM WHITMORE III University of Virginia Paul H. Cale Scholarship Tyler Trevillian LEAH WILLING Virginia Tech LAURA WILSON University of South Carolina LEONARD WINSLOW IV Unknown VIKTORIA WOOLHEATER Bridgewater College ALICE WRIGHT University of Virginia JAXON WRIGHT Unknown ASHLEY WYANT Working at the Batesville Store German Noaa Spiekermann ELIZABETH WEBB University of Virginia CHELSEA WILLIAMSON Piedmont Virginia Community College Summer's Sizzlin' • Pride of VA Steaks, Ribs & Ground Beef — Great for Grilling • Chilled Whites from Cardinal Point, Veritas & other wineries • Iced Coffee, Freshed-brewed Iced Tea & Pink Lemonade • New Specialty Sandwiches — Great for Picnic Boxes • Sesame Noodle, Tuscany Bean & Other Homemade Cold Salads Hallie S. Cale Scholarship Hannah Mangum Paul Goodloe McIntire Award Shannon Bayliss The Connie Y. Fix Memorial Scholarship James Connally The Joe M. Fix, II Memorial Scholarship Kristina Pietro Frances R. Witt Memorial Scholarship Leann Raines Charles S. Armstrong Award James Vale Principal’s Award Mackenzie Doss Wine Tasting Saturday, July 5 1 – 5 p.m. Just past the intersection of Plank Road and Miller School Road (434) 823-4752 Crozet gazette page 26 s JUly 2008 Western Albemarle High School Valediction Awards Albemarle County Rotary Club Foundation Scholarship Grace Manno Green Olive Tree Scholarship Grace Manno Family and Community Education Scholarship, Crozet Moonlighters Chris Awkard White Hall Ruritan Club Scholarship Isabelle Marshall J. T. Graves Memorial Scholarship Award Ruby Lyon St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish Scholarship Mary Chiarella St. Paul’s–Ivy Episcopal Church Scholarships Jessica Baber Tessa Barbera Brittany Olson Women’s Club of Crozet Scholarships Jessica Baber Daniel Corley Tros – Dale Scholarship Jessica Baber Minor Preston Educational Scholarships Sadeeka Dosu, Ashlee Jones-Howard, Victoria Woolheater Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Scholarship, Xi Iota Chapter Sadeeka Dosu Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Scholarship Zubair Dosu ACE Mentor Program Scholarship Zubair Dosu Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Meredith Gould Emily Couric Leadership Award Anjali Nanda Herff-Jones Principal’s Leadership Award Mackenzie Doss Dean’s Scholarship, University of Oregon Anna Almy Scholarship, Brigham Young University Jessica Carter Nicole Thompson Memorial Scholarship Michael Montgomery Chancellor’s Achievement Award, Uiversity of Colorado at Boulder James Thomas Associated Universities, Inc. Trustee Scholarship Andreas Bastian Regents’ Scholarship, University of New Mexico Conor Pratt Charlottesville Business Innovation Council’s Tech Tour Scholarship Andreas Bastian Amigo Scholarship, University of New Mexico Conor Pratt Charlottesville Track Club Skip Kinnier Scholarship Nicholas Ward United Way Student Service Award Nominees Holly Albertson Jordan Lynn Hannah Mangum United Way Student Service Award Winner Alexandra Triana University of Virginia Community Credit Union Scholarship Holly Albertson James and Nellie Butler Scholarship Holly Albertson Wesleyan University Matthew DentonEdmundson Dean’s Award, Guilford College Taylor Starns Academic Merit Award, Emory & Henry College Brittany Gearing Academic Scholarship, Marymount University Nolan Lynn Jogues Scholarship, Fordham College at Lincoln Center Marshall Buxton Scholarship, Campbell University Tyler Trevillian Bonner Scholarship, Emory & Henry College Brittany Gearing Merit Scholarship, Mary Baldwin College Colleen Crowley Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60 Scholarship Tyler Trevillian Academic Scholarships, George Mason University Kaitlin Howell Henry Loehr Pamplin College of Business Merit Scholarship, Virginia Tech Miranda Grove Tisch Scholarship, New York University Zack Marotta Dean’s Scholarship, New York University Zack Marotta Presidential Scholarship, Johnson & Wales University Tessie Reynolds Achievement Awards, Cabrini College Matthew Galvin Molly Schwoebel Scholarship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kelly Knapp Presidential Scholarship, Saint Joseph’s University Alexandra Souliotis Charter Scholarship, University of Georgia Eleanor Gray Mullen University Scholarship, St. Lawrence University Elizabeth Grogan Virginia High School League Courageous Achievement Award Eleanor Gray Mullen Scholarships, Rochester Institute of Technology Benjamyn Marks Joshua Marks Presidential Award, Guilford College Taylor Starns Academic Merit Scholarship, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise David Von Hemert Athletic Scholarship, George Mason University Mary Schwartz Scholarship, RandolphMacon College Kellianne Mullin Trustee’s Award, Randolph-Macon College Sam Schwoebel Appointment, United States Merchant Marine Academy Daniel Noonan Northrop Grumman Corporation Sperry Marine Engineering Scholarship Andreas Bastian Trustee Scholarship, Lynchburg College Tessa Evans Dean’s Scholarship, Lynchburg College Taylor Fellows Presidential Scholarships, Lynchburg College Kelly Miller Chas Sandridge * Athletic Scholarship, University of Notre Dame Max Pfeifer Academic Achievement Award, College of Wooster Mitchell Bowser University Alumni Awards, Denison University Lars Pettygrove Gerry Walsh Denison Award, Denison University Gerry Walsh (434) 817-4044 or (866) 856-4044 savvysleeper.com Merit Scholarship, Denison University Brenna Broadus FINE MATTRESSES, PILLOWS, & PLATFORM BEDS Dean’s Award, Ohio 5 miles east of Crozet on Rt. 250, in Ivy. 4414 Ivy Commons. Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 27 First row seated, left to right: Monalyce Hamza, Kim Purdy, Sadeeka Dosu, Maddie Beveridge, Sam Masri, Annie Watson and Morgan Dent; Second row kneeling, left to right: Alex Ernst, Rachael Nidiffer, Marli Gordon, Laura Wozneak, Jennifer Bisgaier, Jenna Engle, Ansley Luce and Stephanie Gibson; Third row standing, left to right: Coach Mary Dobmeier, Philip Hadwin, Ben Jones, Josh Laubach, Sungjin Yoo, Alex Mathew, Nick Sjolinder, Jeff Diamond, Howie Clark, Chris Till and Coach Myriam Pitts; Team members not pictured: Sophie Baker, Melissa Gilrain, Adam Hamza, Sarah Healy, Lauren Muller, Adam Pastors, Sean Raynor, Tara Riccio, Emily Shepherd, Erin Schill, Maggie Southwell, Kathryn Wesson, and Coach Laura Pietro Western Rowing Wins at Norfolk 31 Western Albemarle High School rowers, in only their second year, competed in their first regatta in the fall and competed in the Polar Bear Regatta on the Occoquan Reservoir on March 29, the Mathews Regatta in Hampton Roads on April 19 and the Independent Schools Regatta on Lake Whitehurst in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens on May 10. In Norfolk they were the only public high school competing and they placed in several sweep events. The Womens varsity took first place in both the 8- and the 4-rower boats. The Mens 4+ took second place, the Mens Novice 8+ took third place, and the club’s mixed 8+ also came in third. The 40-member team also joined USRowing this year and is in the process of raising funds to build a boathouse and dock on Beaver Creek. Several rowers earned special recognition at the team’s end of year picnic on Beaver Creek May 17. More than 20 rowers were recognized at the WAHS Academic Awards night on May 19. Coach’s Award Mens: Alex Mathew Womens: Stephanie Gibson and Kim Purdy MOst Valuable Rower Mens: Ben Jones Womens: Ansley Luce Most Improved rower Mens: Josh Laubach Womens: Madison Beveridge Cox of the Year Mens: Morgan Dent Womens: Morgan Dent Scholarship—continued from page 3 and put in new landscaping around it. The 41-member club raises money through its barbecue chicken dinner at the Crozet Firehouse, by handling parking for the Crozet Arts & Craft Festivals, staffing the ticket booth at the Albemarle County Fair, and coordinating rentals of the White Hall Community Building for community meetings, birthday parties, graduation celebrations, wedding receptions, family reunions, etc. The first Ruritan Club was organized in Holland, Virginia, (now part of Suffolk) in May 1928. The name came from two Latin words meaning “open country” and “small town.” The National Ruritan headquarters is still in Dublin, Virginia. The White Hall Ruritan Club was chartered in 1961 and several charter members are still active in the club. The club meets on the fourth Thursday of the month in the White Hall Community Building. Crozet gazette page 28 s JUly 2008 Crozet Scouting News Your Local Grocery Store Left to right are: Scoutmaster and Troop Leader Gary Conley, Cody Watson, Alex Lehmann, Alex Garcia, John Wilder, Colin Williams, Bryce Deering, Gavin Ratcliffe, Dan Baer, and Matt Carmichael. Scouts Canoe Down the James River By Sandy and Colin Williams On Memorial Day weekend, Crozet Boy Scout Troop 79 went canoeing down the James River. This was the troop’s third annual canoe trip on the James River. Before the scouts could attend the trip, they had to attend at least four of the canoe practices held at Beaver Creek Lake on Sunday afternoons. There they practiced the paddling skills they would need to make their trip safe and fun. The attendees met in the parking lot of Crozet Methodist at 7 a.m. Saturday, checked in, and were on their way. In addition to Scoutmaster Gary Conley, parents Bill Baer, Jim Carmichael, John Ratcliffe and Bill Wilder joined in as chaparones. The put-in site was in Arcadia, just north of Buchanan. Once on the water, the three-day trip seemed to fly by. The highlight of the trip was probably the class 3 rapids they faced on the third day. Luckily, only one boat flipped, and most of the items were caught floating downstream and returned to the owners. Nobody was hurt (other than minor sunburns), and everybody seemed to have a great time. The 22-mile run ended at Snowden just south of Glasgow. The stories that came home were all great ones: great fishing, great weather and great scout spirit. Crozet Youths Win Soapbox Derby Brother and sister Kyle and Kelsey Fitzgerald of Crozet won two of the five top spots during the Blue Ridge Soap Box Classic in Waynesboro Saturday, May 31. The Waynesboro race is the second largest Soap Box Classic in the country. It was a beautiful day with some wind, which caused a few ripples in the driving stream for some drivers. A few drivers found themselves fighting the winds and some crashed into the hay bales lining the course. At least one young lady suffered from a bruised ego and a bloody nose, but for the most part the event was family fun for those who came out to cheer them on. Kyle, 11, attends Crozet Elementary and Kelsey, 14, attends J. T. Henley Middle School. Winners from all five divisions will now participate in the 71st All-American Soap Box Derby set for July 26 in Akron, Ohio. Come check out our NEW Cheese selections and other SPECIALTY products Organic Lunch Meats Roasted & Smoked Turkey and Ham $5.49/lb. Wild Harvest Pasta Sauce (26 oz.) $2.35 Julie’s Organic Sorbet Bars (4-pk.) $2.99 Prices effective thru July 31, 2008 Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 29 Girls Scouts are Busy at Camp Sugar Hollow Camp Sugar Hollow Program Center was home to more than 100 Girl Scouts while they learned about outdoor skills at the 2008 Camporee last month. Fourteen scouts from Cadette Troop 396 in Crozet put on the weekend event at the camp near White Hall for the younger girls, who ranged in age from five-year-old Daisy scouts to 10-year-old Juniors. The girls represented 10 troops from all over the Western Albemarle area. The eight outdoor skills—which was the theme of the weekend May 31and June 1—included activities in knot tying, first aid, knife handling, fire-building, cooking, ecology, what to wear and compass skills. Scouts from Troops 3080, 208 and 572 dry off in Rocky Top shelter after getting caught in a sudden downpour at the 2008 Camporee at Sugar Hollow. Elizabeth Noonan, second from right, peeks out of a teepee atop Skippy’s Haven while instructing a group of Girl Scouts from Troops 208, 572 and 3080 about how to use a compass. From left to right, Cadettes Emma Weiss, Becca Stoner, Elizabeth Noonan, Emily Moffett, Margaret Given and Krista Brown perform a campfire skit at the 2008 Camporee at Sugar Hollow. Members of Brownie Troop 874 of Crozet enjoying a moment at the 2008 Camporee. Front row: Ellie Plantz, Noelani Brockett. Back row: leader Heidi Brown, Desiree Koch, Avery Moultrie, Annie Meenan, Isabel Brown, Halina Guterbock, Lori Benedict, leader Maryann Russell and Isabelle Mildonian. Cadette Margaret Given of Western Albemarle High School helps a troop make first aid kits out of recycled film containers. Crozet gazette page 30 s JUly 2008 Who’s Afraid of Snakes? Not Girl Scouts! Members of several Cadette Girl Scout troops at Western Albemarle High School, Jack Jouett and Henley Middle Schools raise a 200-pound Asian python named Penelope high above their heads. From left to right: Ron Cromer, herpetologist, Lauren Blake, Michelle Sprouse, Kelsey Faust, Emma Weiss, Suzi Mulshine, McKenzie Black, and Alice Newkirk. Greenwood—continued from page 21 fund to receive a tax deduction for their gifts. Association members include Frances S. Scruby, whose family owns Pea Ridge Farm. Scruby is president of the association and a member of the Greenwood Rural Historic District Committee. Other officers include Mary Buford Hitz, secretary, and Charles Cory, treasurer. Committee members have already raised cash and pledges totaling half the funds required to employ Arcadia Preservation LLC and to meet other expenses involved in achieving Historic District designation. “Being a part of the historic designation would be an honor,” said Scruby. “A homeowner could still demolish if you wanted to or have additions. It could include any homes 50 years old or older and homeowners could opt out or request to be included. The current boundaries are just preliminary. They could change,” Scruby explained. Scruby said there will be public meetings—probably in September either in the Yancey Mills area or possibly at Emmanuel Episcopal Church—where the public will be provided with more information and public input will be invited. The committee is excited about the future possibilities might hold and pleased to have Jennifer Hallock involved in the project. Hallock is eminently qualified in preservation work and was recently successful in her involvement in the Southern Albemarle Historic District (85,000 acres) in the Schuyler and Lovingston areas of Nelson County and the Laurel Mills area of Rappahannock County. Following the public meetings this fall, Hallock will start on the prescribed survey work required by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Those interested in donating to the effort can send contributions to the Western Albemarle Association, 1870 Ortman Drive, Afton, Virginia 22920. Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 31 B ereav e m ents Caroline Boxley Petty March 27, 2008 Robert Hutchings Jennings, 79 May 31, 2008 Hayden Charles Curry III, 59 June 1, 2008 Karen Sue Franklin Hudson, 51 June 1, 2008 Anna Bridgwater Slaughter, 73 June 1, 2008 Ronald Dale Woodson, 49 June 1, 2008 Carl L. Edwards, 70 June 2, 2008 Patricia Ann Morris Hall, 65 June 2, 2008 James Robert Howe June 4, 2008 Harry Boulden Pugh, 80 June 4, 2008 Lorinal Alverad Randall, 79 June 4, 2008 Henry Richard Dean, 79 June 5, 2008 Donald Robert Hemmer, 76 June 5, 2008 Percy Coleman Payne, 91 June 5, 2008 James Ronald Chandler, 43 June 6, 2008 W. Gertrude Meadows, 73 June 8, 2008 Diana Akers Rhoads, 64 June 9, 2008 Norman Jerome Wood, 44 June 10, 2008 Elizabeth D. van der Linde, 85 June 11, 2008 Evelyn Garrison Via, 97 June 11, 2008 Mary E. Wood, 77 June 11, 2008 Dorothy Iola Duncan, 95 June 12, 2008 Reba Lear Blair Logwood, 77 June 13, 2008 Amy Carter Reid, 95 June 13, 2008 Margaret Ethyl Goodloe Small, 93 June 14, 2008 Lillian M. Dickerson, 87 June 15, 2008 Cecil Lynwood Hamilton, 71 June 15, 2008 Lewis E. Morris, 68 June 17, 2008 Paula Yvette Goines, 38 June 19, 2008 Mary Elizabeth Cook MacGregor, 72 June 19, 2008 Anderson Thurman Rea Jr., 68 June 19, 2008 Betty Faye Quillen Collins June 20, 2008 Ingrid B.A. Pors, 80 June 20, 2008 Patricia Solnok Harding, 85 June 22, 2008 Charles Bell, 64 June 24, 2008 Charles W. Dobbins, 65 June 24, 2008 Elmer Earl Myrtle, 79 June 25, 2008 James Edward Brooks, 92 June 27, 2008 Christopher Goodwin, 58 June 27, 2008 Now scheduling work for summer and fall. Green Olive Tree Snippets By Sheila Freeman At a recent meeting of the Green Olive Tree board, members came prepared to hear about such weighty topics as the role of wire hangers in the shop and prices of boutique items. The agenda was changed, however, when we had visits from two most important local people, Hae Shin Yoo and Linda Beard. Hae Shin, a Korean minister, lives in Crozet with his family. His presence and message inspire others through his non-denominational Healing Peace ministry at Virginia Tech. This is a new program by which Korean War veterans “adopt” Korean-American students at Tech. Haes Shin of struggling with tragic events will help the students overcome the pain of the killings on April 16, 2007. Hae Shin has also started a Bible Study program at Tech that is open to all students. Our second visitor also held us in her spell of selflessness. Linda Beard from Christworks told us about her ministry to reach victims of poverty. Linda and her husband, Roland, have been involved in helping, both monetarily and “hands-on,” a variety of those in need. She began by teaching special needs children in her home. The couple then expanded to provide for material needs when they could. They partnered with other Christian groups nationally. Now the Beards have gone international with a mission in Uganda. With the help of photographs, Linda educated us about the extreme poverty in villages in Uganda, much fostered by corrupt political leaders past and present. She told us of her visits and contacts in Uganda as well as her purchase of property there. She has filled two trailers with clothes and household items and was working to acquire farming necessities. The trailers were shipped to Uganda in May and the Beards planned to meet the shipments in June to distribute their contents to villagers. Various Christian groups are assisting her, but much of this work the Beards fund personally. Thanks to the community, we will be able to provide some monetary assistance to Hae Shin Yoo and Healing Peace and to Roland and Linda Beard and Christworks. The Green Olive Tree has awarded two college scholarships of $500 each to deserving students from our area. At our next board meeting we’ll work out in-store problems. In the meantime we hope to be good stewards. Parson’s Green—continued from page 13 Now for real with the price of gas. It’s sad to see it sold. I’ve been coming for so long.” The place, now reduced to seven acres, was once a dairy farm, though not while Alexander has been there. The block foundation of a silo stands in the rear yard. Near it is a shed where turkeys were once raised. “I used to prepare [kill and clean] about 15 a year. The Rev. gave them away at Thanksgiving to the needy,” said Alexander. There is a long, sunny vegetable garden, now neglected, with a failing picket fence surrounding it. It was worked and produced heavily. Sims canned from it and, again, a lot of it was given away. “I’ve always had happy times here,” said Alexander, scanning the front drive with its ancient, majestic, broad-branched oak in the cen- ter. “Rev. Marston and I would sit on the porch and talk about everything. I get peace of mind here.” But now something new is on the way. An old way is passing. Mountain Plain Baptist Church A small, friendly, moderate church invites you to share your Sunday with us. Sunday School r 10 am Traditional Worship Service r 11 am Rev. Sam Kellum, Pastor 4297 Old Three Notch’d Road Travel 2 miles east of the Crozet Library on Three Notch’d Rd. (Rt. 240), turn left onto Old Three Notch’d Rd., go 0.5 mile to Mountain Plain Baptist Church More information at www.mountainplain.org or 823.4160 Crozet gazette page 32 s JUly 2008 Department of Updates: [RE: Crozet Gazette Vol. 2, No. 4] Hae Shin Yoo Goes Home on Faith Korean pastor Hae Shin Yoo is back in Seoul, South Korea. His wife and four children left Crozet a week ahead of him in mid-June and were staying with relatives. Hae Shin had things he had to wrap up, visa stuff, so he was alone, busy, for a few days more. On the eve of his flight, he sat peacefully in his spare living room in the former parsonage to Crozet Baptist Church, a man at rest despite the tension and uncertainty of the moment. He is man devoted to compassion and he has a field of holiness about him. This summer he learns where his mission is. Five Crozet churches—Crozet Baptist, Cornerstone, Victory Hill, Mountain Plain Baptist and Crozet United Methodist—joined in a Song Festival at CUMC June 6 where Yoo was sent off with blessings. About 165 people attended. Nancy Virginia Bain said it was one of the five best things she’s ever known to happen in Crozet, and she speaks with authority on that subject. The Yoos had expected to face this ordeal last summer. He had conflicting feelings about what to do with last summer’s court ruling that his status as a foreign national in the U.S. was invalid. But: to go and perhaps be locked out of the States, or stay and keep appealing? Impecunious, they stayed on. Yoo was loathe to upset his children’s schooling. But now he’s making a move. “I always want to be obeying the law,” he affirmed. He needs to get a resolution. His family will present itself at the United States Embassy in Seoul and hope Hae Shin’s visa as a temporary religious worker is approved. If it is, they will come back, hopefully in August, to Crozet or perhaps Blacksburg. If it’s not, then his mission is in Korea. “Not sure,” said Hae Shin with a pained smile when asked to predict which will happen. After all, his job as pastor at Lighthouse Church had turned out to be unauthorized. But he expects that issue to be waived once he makes his new application in the proper venue. Healing Peace Ministry, which he established with some Crozet neighbors in December, has raised enough money to count for one year of his salary as a pastor to KoreanAmerican students at Virginia Tech, an effort to reach out to them after the killings of 2007, but the ministry has no financial history. He doesn’t know if what’s there will be judged sufficient support. He did wonder if he should delay and raise more money before filing. But he doesn’t want to risk any interruption in the kids’ school progress. The Korean Presbyterian Church in America has commissioned him as a “planting minister” (someone establishing the church’s presence in a new area) for Virginia Tech. He’s been spending three days a week on the Tech campus since January, mainly at the chapel. Healing Peace is a officially registered organization at the University. He hadn’t expected what he found there. “Virginia Tech is very open and supportive. It’s a very warm place. I went there to bring healing, but in reality the Virginia Tech community is very healthy. It’s a very good community. They have a lot of compassion. I’m trying now more to help them provide global leaders from their international and American students. “I’m trying to connect students, especially international students. They need care,” Hae Shin explained. “International students tend to be very busy with studies and the second generation Korean-American students tend to be isolated. They do not have a rich experience of the bigger life. “This is a Christian ministry and it is building the whole community. As the Pope said, Christianity is always contributing to general humanity. I want to make everyone be a good person and experience inner healing by meeting God.” Yoo is a prayer warrior and was spending at least three hours at day at prayer in the Tech chapel. “There is some power bigger than what we experience,” he said. “Psychological problems have spiritual roots. The evil spirit is hanging around and it captured one student [the murderer]. I am moving toward a more spiritual confrontation and to fight the evil with intercessory prayers.” He told the story of a student addicted to pornography who had become depressed. “The root of it was his sin. Only stopping could ultimately stop his depression.” He had three cases in which students confidentially confessed sinful behaviors to him and he offered them absolution, likening it to the Catholic practice. “They had to repent,” Yoo explained. “It’s quite different from conventional psychology, which deals with problems superficially only to have them come back again.” The Healing Peace prayer ministry, weekly Bible Study classes and regular worship services are supposed to start up again in the fall, assuming the visa is granted. Yoo’s other tactic is to connect American Korean War veterans with Tech’s Korean-American students. Fifteen war vets in the Blacksburg area attended a dinner arranged, at Yoo’s instigation, by Tech students, including KoreanAmericans, to honor the veterans’ service. The Yoo family (top to bottom) brothers Ahn Jin, Sung Jin and Kyung Jin, Hae Shin and Seon Hee, and Ha Jin “That was really meaningful and we had “grandfamily” adoptions,” Yoo said. “Eight of the veterans continued on page 33 Anderson Funeral Services Inc. Serving Western Albemarle Families Since 1967 Robert S. Anderson & John W. Anderson, Jr., D I R E C T O R S 823-5002 5888 St. George Avenue Crozet, VA 22932 Crozet gazette JUly 2008 s page 33 Crossword Puzzle by Heidi Thorson Co-Owner Fit and Trim If you do a lot of trim work, you may have noticed the increasing popularity of “trimhead” screws, which are designed specifically for work on trim, molding and cabinets. While the diameter of the head of the trimscrew is only marginally larger than that of a finish nail, it has much better holding power. Thus a trimscrew provides the holding power of a screw, yet it installs nearly as inconspicuously as a finish nail. Rather than having to fill in the hole with a wood plug (as you would to cover a screw hole), you only have to fill in the hole left by the trimscrew with putty. This is a win-win situation in terms of form and function. If you are ready to install some trim, be sure to pick up these handy screws at Blue Ridge Builders Supply and Home Center. You will also find a great selection of trim and millwork to enhance your home. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can help you design your next project. Visit us today at 5221 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Crozet, or call 434-823-1387 to learn more. Hint: Trimscrews are selftapping and have straight shanks, which means they drive easily, hold well and resist stripping. Visit our website at: www.brbs.net ACROSS 1.Mickey’s stock 4.Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas 10.Part of T.G.I.F. 13.Crozet to Orange direction 14.Land on Lake Victoria 15.Highlands hillside 16.Former Rhode Islander’s local retreat 19.Bad kind of day to go to a park 20.Bo Derek’s number 21.“Haystacks” painter 22.Flair 23.Horse tail action 24.Slippery swimmer 25.Strike caller 28.Consumed 29.Fish in 52 Across 31.Upright, or grand 34.Valley park 36.Past, present, or future 37.GEICO’s spokesman 38.Sound of discovery 39.Idiomatically the limit 40.Common article 43.Type of fit? 46.Month after next, in payment terms 47.Day to plant a tree 48.Sound of relief 51. Posthumous title for4 Across 52. Crozet water supply 55. Wight, for one 56. Come through 57. Noise 58. Latin prefix for NaCl 59. With -creek, proposed parkway 60. Between ready and go Down 1. Proclamation 2. Breathe 3.Identifying number 4.A phone signal 5. Breakfast staple 6.Don’t put it before the horse 7.Type of deep bend 8.Eve’s home 9.Ecru 10.Iraqis’ neighbors 11.Likes 12.Fume 15.Make bubbles 17.Country lodging 18.Printer measures 25.Ornamental vessels 26. Dole 27. Faux- follower 29. Sale container 30.Fuel efficiency measure 31.Select 32. Blackness descriptor 33. In the past 34. Spaghetti enhancer 35. Hi-___ monitor 36. “Little Flower” saint 38. Rockcress genus 40. Chords 41. Precedes -tonk, var. 42. Magnitude 44. Political Karl 45. Source of iron 46. Buddy 48. Peak 49. Region 50. Group of cattle 51. Misrepresent 53. Dreamy sleep 54. Sense of self are not appreciated. I want them to feel integrated with [Koreans] and know that they lived good lives. It’s also good to get them ‘on duty’ and reaching out to international students. The vets are excited about it. This is something that could reach into other parts of the States.” ‘God will prove if this is where my ministry lies,” said Hae Shin, drawing back from talk of the future. “A lot of things happen through prayer and they happen effectively. But there is always doubt. I think, ‘God, do you want this?’ “I move in faith. It’s hard to start a ministry and I have to do it in English and I make errors.” His children want to come back to Crozet. “Culturally, they are Americans,” said Hae Shin. “But I am in God’s hands. It is very stressful.” If their request is denied, they will get traveler’s visas and come back to move the belongings they have left here. “All this is really the Crozet community reaching out,” Hae Shin said, referring to the Song Festival. “That gathering was so encouraging. People saw the need and experienced joy.” Now there is talk of having the festival every year. “All my handicaps are filled by my Crozet friends,” he said quietly. “They are so loving. I had a fear of being Solution on page 35 Yoo—continued from page 32 ‘adopted’ 40 Korean-American students as ‘a grandchild.’ They stay in communication with the students and the veterans have formed a committee and they are planning and leading events.” At Virginia Tech’s graduation in May, Korea’s Ambassador to the United States, Tae Sik Lee, met for lunch with 15 of the students and three vets and their families. The next event will convene 200 vets at Salem’s American Legion Hall in September. “[The vets] help students experience a wholistic lifestyle and not be trapped in the academic setting.” Korean War veterans are sort of a separate ministry, Yoo said. “They continued on page 34 Crozet gazette page 34 s JUly 2008 Yoo—continued from page 33 rejected as an alien. But our Crozet neighbors’ love has been sacrificial. Their energy is spreading to Tech and the vets are joining in it too. The rhythm of love is going on.” Should the visa be denied, what view would he take away of America? “America is very special,” he said. “Especially at this time of globalization. If there was no such country as America, there would be many wars. America is the center of networking. “But there is more to do than that. America is where people from other countries come to get a common culture, a common language, that recognizes the dignity of humanity. Americans should be open to that. Try to understand each other. “Friendship is social capital. America is a Christian culture and shares the love of God. Americans have a strong family ethic. This resource you don’t understand because you live here. But it is not that way in other countries. “I want to see America’s spirit spread and be a global spirit.” Tax Prep and Financials Appointments: 434-823-1420 - Fax: 434-823-1610 [email protected] CROZET BEAUTY SALON Mae Hazelwood - Owner Open Monday - Saturday Appointments encouraged. No credit cards. Full line of Paul Mitchell & Biolage Matrix 434.823.5619 Crozet Shopping Center Crozet gazette ClassiFIed Ads Working Cats looking for a home. Some cats need a job. Rodents can wreak havoc on nurseries, gardens and farms. Our cats can help with this problem! Visit the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA (434-973-5959) or Purrin at Pantops (434-293-2252) to learn more about our free barn cat adoptions. www.caspca.org JUly 2008 s page 35 Crozet Mac Computer Tutor 1 On 1 Help @ Your Home or Business Your Mac Not Running Right? Get All The Secrets Of Mac OSX Ran a Print Shop For 23 Years Mac Computer Consultant For Past 10 Years Robert Elliott 804.366.7952 [email protected] Spay Your Momma for Free. The CharlottesvilleAlbemarle SPCA is offering free spay/neuter for cats of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Call: 964-3333 for an appointment, offer ends August 31st. Warehouse Workers MusicToday is seeking full-time (M-F 9-6), dependable warehouse workers for its Crozet facility. Primary responsibility is to pull and pack orders. Must be able to stand for long periods of time and some lifting is required. Reliable transportation is a must. Excellent benefits including health, dental, LTD, Life and 401(k). Please apply at 5391 Three Notch’d Road, Crozet, VA between 10 a.m. 2 p.m. daily; or by fax at (434) 923-3937; or email at [email protected] Solution to this month’s puzzle 434-823-4626 T-Sun 5-10 Local Wine, Beer and Art, An American Grill peppered with International flavors Friendly atmosphere Art by Meg West Heart of Crozet CROZET DOWNTOWN ZONING RECOMMENDED BOUNDARY Albemarle County GDS June / 2008 CS X I RA LR E AV ORGE E CC OM B ST ST ST GE OR GE ST AD RO IL E RA AV M NT ASA ST PLE EEN GR DS T WAYLAND DR EM IAH LN CA RTE R ST JER FIREHOUSE LN £ BU FOR LN LT HE Y MCCA ULE D OA ST G 1/4 mile ~or~ 1,320 feet 5 minute walk B RID LUE GE AVE TH SQU E ARE Proposed Downtown Zoning District Current Zoning THREE NOTCH'D RD R2 Residential O AK R4 Residential ELLIS ON S T R6 Residential HIGH ST ST JARM A NS G AP RD R10 Residential SUNFLOWER LN Commercial CR OZ AV ET E HADEN LN Commercial Office TABO R Heavy Industry ST Neighborhood Model District Planned Development Shopping Center HILL TOP ST INDIGO ALY RD O Note: The map elements depicted are graphic representations and are not to be construed or used as a legal description. DI G IN CLAUD S CROZE IU RK T PA Rural Areas 0 300 Feet 600 Map created by Tyson Chambers. Supervisors Approve Downtown Zoning District Crozet has new zoning for its downtown commercial district, a unique set of rules in Albemarle County, that aims to attract new business and residents to an area imagined as a traditional, walkable town center. After nearly 18 months of development and some 40 public meetings, Supervisors created the new zone with little fanfare June 11 on a unanimous vote. All buildings in the 53-acre area are required to be a minimum of two stories with both floors habitable. No residential uses are permitted on the first floor of a building. Four-story buildings are allowed by-right (the fourth floor must be setback by 15 feet to prevent buildings from seeming to loom over the street) and up to six stories are possible by special request. Buildings must have their main entrance face the street and corner lots will be able to choose which street to put their main entrance on or have one on both. With a waiver request, buildings can be allowed to setback up to 20 feet from the street in order to allow for café seating areas. The rules require 10-foot sidewalks on Crozet’s main streets and 8-foot sidewalks on others. Street trees are required every 25 feet. Breaks—alleys, sidewalks or parking lot entries—must occur in building facades at least every 200 feet. Supervisors raised the height of screening fences between the commercial district and adjoining residential areas to 6 feet. Screening of parking areas is set at 4 feet high for security reasons. Parking, except for what is possible along the street, must be “relegated,” meaning behind stores. Parking standards were set at one space per 1,000 square feet of floor area and downtown residences will have to have one space for the first bedroom and another for any additional bedrooms. Supervisors removed one property on High Street from the district’s boundary at the owner’s request. The owner of a parcel on White Hall Road, now for sale, that adjoins the boundary asked to be included, but will have to go through a separate process to join the district. Virtually all commercial and office uses are allowed, and passing the new rules means that property owners with plans to build can proceed to submit conforming building plans to the County without having to go through lengthy and expensive rezoning appeals. The County itself has a new library planned for the new main intersection downtown as well as streetscape improvements and a new storm drain system for the area under way. County officials estimate that the new district will generate an additional $11 million in business taxes over the next 20 years. Supervisors expressed some concern over the tax increases some properties now in the district will experience and asked county staff to report later what that effect is. White Hall District Supervisor Ann Mallek made the motion to approve and it was seconded by Samuel Miller District Supervisor Sally Thomas.