Deadline Update

As Gomer Pyle would say, “surprise, suprise, suprise!”

At tonight’s meeting of the governing body of the Town of Scottsville, Council Member Jim Hogan announced that there is a new deadline for the removal of overhead utilities and the installation of the new street lights. The new date has been placed at the end of February, an additional two weeks beyond what the Mayor was quoted as saying only six days ago in the Daily Progress. It seems these deadlines refer only refer to the illumination of the new lights. No deadlines have been given for additional sidewalk patches and repairs  once the utility poles have been taken down.

Part of the latest delay is due in part to Embarq’s delays. It seems that some conduit pipes that were installed as part of a cost overrun project, were rejected by the the telephone giant. It seems that no one consulted with the phone company as to how these conduits should have been installed. Because of this “screw-up” by the design firm of Volkert & Associates, Valley Street had to once again be dug up. This design flaw was supposedly inspected at a cost of $70 an hour to the Town and is part of a $20,000 cost overrun bill to the Town.

“Shazam!”

Another Deadline Announced by the Mayor

We have heard it before, whether it was on a TV newscast, the front page of the Daily Progress, a letter from the mayor, or at a Town meeting. This week the mayor announced yet another deadline for Streetscape completion. To quote the January 22 edition of the Daily Progress: “The project on Valley Street was originally slated for completion last summer. Phipps said the target now is the second week of February. We’re just waiting to get the new lights up,” Phipps said.

At a recent public meeting the Scottsville Town Administrator was asked about a completion date and deadlines for the remaining work on Streetscape. His response was that all such schedules went out the window six months ago and he had idea when anything would be completed. Now what, pray tell, is the mayor using as source material for his predictions? It must be the same source he has been using since this project began. Any sensible person would have concluded long ago that source is faulty.

A visit to the local hardware store yesterday to get a piece of window glass, prompted someone to suggest that maybe I should get enough glass to replace the textured glass in the window of the mayor’s office. By doing so, it was further suggested, the mayor might get a clearer view of what is actually happening on the street below his office window.

Anyone walking Valley Street can see much more needs to be done than just the installation of new lights. These new lights will only help illuminate the faults of the rest of the Streetscape project, the patched sidewalks, the broken new sidewalks, the transformers, the utility boxes on the fronts of store fronts, gray conduit pipes everywhere, the new overhead telephone line (more of this in a later post), and dirty buildings still sporting a covering of dust from Streetscape construction.

All of this is the result of “the $900,000-plus project (which) is the town officials’ grand vision to revive business and provide a new, improved look and feel (Daily Progress 12/12/07).” I personally am glad it is “grand” vision and not a mediocre vision.
Vision can be difficult to see in reality. Vision requires that one be able to see the details of a project from beginning to end. At it requires due diligence in seeing that the vision is carried out as planned.

When I renovated 350, 375, 410-430, 495-497, 510, 720, and 724 Valley Street some on my own and some with others, I did so not as part of any grand Streetscape program, but as part of a grandeur vision of Scottsville. For me it was a chance to truly save Scottsville. I and the others did this with no monetary support from the town nor any taxpayer on any level. It was done with complete private initiative. I am continuing this effort now with 732 Valley Street. Recent work by other property owners have shown that private initiative can accomplish much more in Scottsville than public programs.

In each commercial project, one major goal was to try and remove all utilities from the fronts and sides of each building. I succeeded in each project. This was not mandated by anyone nor any body such as the ARB, it was a personal choice. It is very disappointing to now see electric meter bases put back on the side of one building to the exact spot I had previously removed them from. It seems that was the easy way to get new service to the building. Even more upsetting is to see that no effort was made to remove any other utility connections from any other building, but instead added more clutter to the fronts of buildings. So much for “Saving Old Scottsville”, aka SOS and “enhancing” Valley Street. Oh, but I forget, SOS is another project that the mayor spearheaded.

I am not a wagering man, but any thoughts on when Streetscape will be finished? I have lent an ear to many possible dates, many of which are in another lifetime.

Cluster Boxes

Several years ago the United States Post Office announced that it needed more floor space to operate to accommodate its ever expanding customer base. Consequently, the owner of the West Main Street location acquired a neighboring lot of land hoping to be able to expand that facility. The USPO, not wishing to limit its options also started a search for other sites, some of which were outside the Town limits. If memory serves me, the USPO put all plans on hold due to budgetary concerns which gave the citizens a false sense of security that the USPO would not leave the downtown location.

Then, the beast awoke, and once again the USPO was looking for a larger home. Plans for the downtown site fell through, but an opportunity arose in the uptown area at the Scottsville shopping center. Once again concern arose amongst the residents and business owners in downtown Scottsville about the loss of not only the physical presence of the Post Office but also the convenience of picking up mail.

Because of the proximity of the Post Office to its customers, the USPO did not have to provide rural or city delivery to the downtown area. This required that anyone not getting home delivery had to rent a PO Box. Now that the Post Office is moving out of that area, their own regulations state that they must offer free delivery. Due to the narrowness of the Town’s streets and apparent lack of areas to place mail boxes, the Postal Carriers Union stepped in and decreed that mail delivery by rural carrier was an unsafe proposition, so as a compromise the USPO offered to place “cluster boxes” at a location in the downtown area.

Upon learning this I contacted the Mayor and made some suggestions about location so as to make it more convenient to the eventual patrons of these boxes. As usual, the Mayor brushed off my suggestions. It seems he had already worked out an arrangement with the USPO to have the boxes placed in the parking lot adjacent to the farmers market. Despite this, I continued to lobby on behalf of the citizens of Scottsville to have the boxes placed in a safe and convenient location.

Because of the delays with Streetscape, the Mayor’s site for the boxes was consumed by the presence of gravel, and machinery most of 2007 so no work could be done to prepare for the placement of 160 boxes. As the site was being also considered for a permanent structure for the farmer’s market, I suggested that an architect, instead of the landscape architect they had used,  be retained to look at the entire site and incorporate the market building, the VFW memorial, the parking, and the cluster boxes into one coherent plan. After several months the Town did secure the services of a certified architect, but when he presented his plans to the Town’s Architectural Review Board there was no mention of the cluster boxes. The ARB had never seen the Mayor’s plan for the boxes even though they would be placed in the Historic District. Any and all private activities in the district must receive approval from the ARB before being approved  and it would appear the Mayor circumvented the review of the ARB either by design or ignorance.

At this point the ARB asked for a review of the cluster box placement in the Historic District. After discussion with the Government Services Committee, there now seems to be a consensus that the boxes are inappropriate for placement in the Historic District as they are currently designed. They also looked at other sites and considered safety aspects as well.

Sadly for the the citizens of Scottsville, a open discussion about these boxes came at the same time as when the Post Office started the process of moving.  Although home delivery is much more preferred, in fairness to the USPO, they thought the issue was a done deal and had the boxes available for placement and all they needed was the concrete slab on which to place them. It is my understanding, unlike that of the Mayor as quoted in a recent article in the Daily Progress, it is not a matter of money for rural delivery, but a lack of funding for a city carrier. These are two different forms of mail delivery and apparently not understood by the Mayor.

At the last Council meeting, the Mayor was instructed to contact Congressmen Virgil Goode about home delivery again either either by rural or city carrier. Other than that, no action was taken to resolve the issue although there was a lot of discussion by council who are concerned by the current situation. In the meantime, everyone who had thought they would have free delivery at long last, had to pay up for continued use of their PO Boxes. The fact that the ARB was not consulted at the very beginning of this process years ago has ended up costing the community more money and added frustration over the loss of the Post Office. Just like other projects in the Town, the current debacle is the result of poor planning by the Town, poor use of the ARB, and the inability to receive and use input of community citizens.

According to the Mayor, the current state of Streetscape is the result of seven years of planning. It now now seems the current mess with mail delivery is the result of a similar planning process although this time only a couple of years were used. To their credit, several Town Council members have now recommended that an Oversight Committee be established to work on all future projects.

Sorry Folks

I am sorry for the long delay in making another post. I had this great idea of sharing with you a listing of past Scottsville businesses in a story about the frequent turnover in businesses and their ownership in our small town. I planned on creating a wiki page so that everyone could contribute information and hopefully fill in the blanks. As with many of my projects, I underestimated the scope of my simple list. I have been consulting with three other learned people in Scottsville and we have each concluded that our memories are not what they once were. In our defense, I should state the number of businesses has been more numerous that even I recall even though I have witnessed them coming and going in Scottsville since the late seventies.

Another factor in my delay in making a post is an issue that I have had to address with the Scottsville Town Council. Parking spaces are at a premium in downtown Scottsville and instead of creating more parking, the Public Safety Committee, under the guidance of the Mayor, is seeking to eliminate parking which will adversely effect one of my rental properties. I promise to speak more on this issue later.

Dew Drop Inn No More

One of Scottsville’s most notable attractions and a former favorite eatery is no more. Made famous through the television show “The Waltons”, the Dew Drop Inn aka the Pig and Steak Too, has itself become a footnote in the historical annuals of Scottsville. Sold recently at a foreclosure sale after having been closed for several months, the new owner has striped the former restaurant back to the bar bones of the building itself and has no plans to put a restaurant back. Instead the building, built circa 1840, may house office or retail space with living quarters upstairs.

The very first Dew Drop sign, a green neon lighted sign, that had laid undisturbed for years in the attic of the building was sold back in December on eBay. While one bidder had hoped to keep the sign in Scottsville, he was outbid at the last moment and as a result the sign instead traveled to Nelson County as the property of the Walton’s Mountain Country Store.

Even though it was the second oldest business establishment in down town Scottsvlle, the early history of the Dew Drop is unknown at least to this author. Does it in fact date back to the time of Earl Hamner’s youth? Was in always in the same location? Who ran it before the Lohr’s purchased it? Are there any other artifacts from a younger Dew Drop? If any one can shed any information on the history of one of Scottsville’ most notable eateries, please share it in a comment posting.

Canal Basin Carwash

Turn back the pages of history to January 1999 when the Virginia Department of Transportation awarded the very first ISTEA or TEA-21 grant to the Town of Scottsville. The grant came as a result of years of planning between the Town and the Chamber of Commerce to construct an outdoor park primarily chronicling the history of river transportation and its connection with the Town. Nearly two years latter construction commenced. While noble in its goal, the resulting facility has not measured up to what the Town promised its citizenry. Sounds familiar does it not?

Like Streetscape, one gets the impression it will never be finished. Three boats were envisioned for the park and the first was donated, I believe in 2003. Nearly four years latter work started on the second, so that by the end of 2007 the park has one deteriorating batteaux and half a hull of a packet boat and an empty slot for the third boat.

Now I realize that the work is being done by volunteers and that is will take time, but dollars were granted by the government and by foundations and individuals to create this park starting 9 years ago. Like Streetscape, it seems no one in Victory Theater is overly concerned about how long it takes to finish one of its projects, yet they will jump on the private citizen for taking to long on a project. There are way too many double standards in Scottsville.

When the park was first planned, a claim was made that it would become a tourist draw for the Town. Scottsville would become a “destination” so the planners decreed. Sightseers would turn north from a day at Appomattox and other would steer south after leaving Monticello or Ashlawn/Highland. Better yet, bus tours would be re-routed to Scottsville to see this marvel of design and interpretation. Yet when it was designed, the plans called for the elimination of street side parking right in front of the Park so I am not sure where all the buses were to have parked. But as luck would have it, the parking has not been needed.

The park was designed by a landscape architect and like Streetscape; it had no one involved in the design process that had the credentials of someone who would be sympathetic to the historical character of the Town. I had to laugh at the meeting when it was announced that the brick laid in the monoliths would match the bond coursing that exists in the Scottsville Museum. Wow, what a great tie in.

And what do visitors and the area citizens think of it? I have heard “key members” of the community, though probably not the same group that the Town hears from refers to the park as a carwash. I have met visitors who entered the Town from the south and saw the park while crossing over the James River Bridge and though it was a public rest stop with a large restroom building.

It is evident the Town has not used resources as they should have in designing its projects. It failed then; it is failing today and it failed in several other projects all of which are fodder for other postings. So much potential, so much wasted opportunity, and no accountability.

Scottsville ARB Talks Streetscape

Tonight I attended the monthly meeting of the Scottsville Architectural Review Board as a matter of routine. Despite several failed efforts many years ago to get a seat on this board, I still like to attend to stay abreast of any issues that may effect the historical integrity of the Scottsville Historic District. Of course, some of these issues have concerned my own projects and over the years the ARB has gotten some bad press, sometimes well deserved. To the credit of its members, I have seen the ARB evolve in an effort to bridge the gap between what the ARB is chartered to do and what an applicant wants. The results, I think, have resulted in a more positive experience.

Tonight they discussed some important Town issues. It was announced that the Farmer’s Market plans submitted last month for ARB review and approval were presented by the Town to an area contractor for a cost estimate. The Town Administrator stated the budget for the entire project is around $100,000, but the cost estimate came back at $200,000. The architect of the market building is now seeking a lower cost estimate, otherwise the entire project will have to go back to the Quality of Life’s drawing board in an attempt to lower the price. Hmm, sounds like the Streetscape part 2.

Speaking of Streetscape, there was some very honest discussion on the current state of the “enhancements” and what it has done to the character of the historic district. The Chair of the ARB reported that a delegation of ARB members had walked Valley Street to look at the work thus far performed and found many areas of concern. I applaud the ARB for doing this and speaking up and suggesting the Town needs to treat its own projects in the same manner that it does the plans of a private individual. During the entire project, the Town only asked the ARB to comment on the street light design.

The Mayor once said the current Streetscape efforts are the results of over seven years worth of planning. In year one, I suggested that the Quality of Life Committee, the main overseer of Streetscape, engage the services of its own ARB or that of someone who would be sympathetic to the character of the historic district. I said the same thing in years two and three and finally gave up. So many of the current issues about quality, aesthetics and appropriateness could have been dealt with before the fact rather than after had they heeded my advice and consulted with people who do know something about historic preservation. Positive suggestions have been offered over and again from several sources, but to my knowledge none were ever taken seriously enough to be included in the planning process except one – the need for storm drains. I reckon I am not one of the “key members of the community” the Quality of Life Committee likes to consult with.

The ARB and members of the attending audience put forth some positive ideas that will be summarized and relayed to the Scottsville Planning Commission and the Town Council. Hopefully, the Council will heed this input. I am personally appreciative to ARB for stepping up to the plate on its own accord and being proactive.

I walked home after the meeting sensing a slight ray of hope for the future of the historic district.

Deadlines

Have you ever set a deadline or goal for yourself? It can be a difficult endeavor, but can be a very worthwhile exercise. One of the biggest challenges for anyone doing so is being realistic and, by extension, being honest.

For all of 2007, deadlines have been issued from the upper story of Victory Theater almost as frequently as I get email. Many deadlines have been announced at council meetings, in newsletters, in letters from the Mayor, and in media stories. In case someone has been playing Rip Van Winkle, I am referring to deadlines for the so called Streetscape Enhancement Project or whatever the current official terminology for the great Hogan Debacle is now called. So many deadlines have been issued dealing with the same subject, that after a while they became one of the biggest jokes of the year in Scottsville, the greater Albemarle/Charlottesville community, area utility companies, and VDOT. In fact, by the time most became public, the deadline was past and new ones had to be set.

A new year is upon us and once again new deadlines will need to be set. Ironically, the only thing greater in number than the deadlines issued are the excuses issues to explain why they were not met. That my friends is about the only thing you can count on – the issuance of yet more excuses for 2008.

Want an example? Recently the local cable company was feeding their cables through the supplied and inspected conduits. At one business location they shoved the cable through their supplied junction box but never saw it emerge from the expected conduit at the building location. Instead they heard it hitting metal. Upon further investigation they found the cable emerging inside an electric meter base which was “hot”. It turns out someone got the conduits crossed up despite the presence of the “diligent project inspector” who was costing the Town $70 an hour.

To correct the problem, the sidewalk had to be cut open again severely impacting negatively the operation of the affected business. Ironically, it had been the last major section of sidewalk to be poured in Town. A Town official latter commented that the contractor reported that the problem was the result of vandalism ( I am not sure if a police report was ever filed). A town councilor indicated the problem was due to gravel blocking the conduit. Whom do you believe? I believe what I saw with my own eyes.

As par to course, the deadline for making all the new utility connections have come and gone. The contractor has generated their excuses and the town has done likewise. The deadlines have never been realistic with this project and the excuses have never been honest.

Recently, I heard tell that at a recent Town meeting I was being criticized for the appearance of my most current renovation project by a town councilor. I find this ironic in the face of the appearance of Streetscape, but I stand above this person in that I need not make any excuses for I have been realistic and honest in my efforts. I have set a goal, as I have with each and every project I have tackled in Scottsville and I am on track. The Town more issues of its own creation to contend with than worrying about me.

All who know me realize, my projects take time, but in the end they exceeded even my humble expectations. Sadly, the Town can not make that same claim for Streetscape. I must run as I think I hear another excuse coming.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year friends and visitors. My resolution for 2008 is to provide insight and truth about the happenings in Scottsville.

Too often the populace, friends and businesses of Scottsville get half truths or a dizzying spin on the truth. Time and again some members of the governing body of the Town of Scottsville tell the public that they have “had very positive feedback from key members of the community” or they have “heard from members of the community” when pushing their agenda. Never in all my years living here have I heard actual names. Who are the key members of the community I wonder? Am I not a key member? Are not you a key member? We only have 550 or so members in the actual Town community and I would have thought with such a small number each and every one of these 550 people should be thought of as “key members”.

What section of the local populace do these “key members” represent? No one has ever polled my opinion in an official capacity? Have you ever been polled? I do not know everyone in Town, but I know a fairshare and none have ever been asked their opinion. However, many have offered it and yet their comments never gain the accreditation that the “key members” receive.

I hope that through this forum some of you may become enlightened about the truth in this Town. I also hope that some of you may contribute to this effort. As I write this I can already hear the naysayers condemning my efforts as they have done for years. They are the same people who want all the world to think this is some sort of Utopia. I could even name these individuals, but I will defer in the event that they will see the truth for themselves.

The truth shall set us free.