Pliable. Stretchable. Bendabe. Malleable. Whippy. 

These are all synonyms for flexible, a word that describes the production nature of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and occasional podcast that for most of the past four years was both at the same time. Over time, though, it was necessary to become more limber, plastic, elastic, and workable. 

For this August 3, 2024 podcast edition, audio versions of several stories from the last three print editions. I’m Sean Tubbs, glad to be able to still be doing the sonic version.

In this edition: 

* Charlottesville City Council to vote Monday on salary increase (learn more)

* Albemarle moving ahead with update of economic development strategic plan (learn more)

* City of Charlottesville updates retail vacancy report  (learn more)

* Six townhouses planned for single-family house on Alderman Road (learn more)

* State Senator John McGuire will be the Republican nominee for the Fifth District Congressional Race this fall after a recount affirmed his victory in the primary 

* The Albemarle Board of Supervisors gets a briefing from Albemarle staff on changes to the structure of the next Comprehensive Plan (learn more)

This time it is a podcast. Next time it will be a summary of what’s coming up at government meetings next week. After that? Sign up and see for yourself!

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An explanation of shout-outs

In a typical edition, I use this space to provide a “shout-out” to subscribers and Patreon supporters who have qualified for a particular perk. Most of these editions are written as scripts for a podcast as my early journalistic dream was to be a public radio producer. I love the way that public service announcements sound and I love that in three years I’ve been able to use this space to promote items that I think most of you would be interested in. 

In this shout-out, I want to salute anyone who has learned something new from these shout-outs. I also want to thank those individuals and organizations that have supported me in the past. 

(image) Town Crier Productions

Thoughts on 713A and the ending of the work week

At 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon I am so happy to stop working and to pick it all up again tomorrow. So I will just say that if you have not listened to one of these before, this would be a good one to start. The secret has always been that this was intended to be an audio product as that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. January will mark the 30th anniversary of an internship I had at a public radio station.

The AC44 version aired on WTJU this morning, as I have an obligation to fill 30 minutes a week. Knowing I had to make a new deadline every week, I restructured a lot of my internal processes to be able to make sure I could do it.

This is not that version. I could have just posted that here and taken a day off, but I felt I owe the hundreds of people who do listen to the podcast. I really enjoyed doing this work today while I watched the Olympics in Paris, something I did not expect I would be doing nine days ago.

Watching people compete and be their best is inspirational to me. I’ve worked hard to get good at writing about this stuff, and the podcasts sound pretty good, too. Take a listen, though this one is not soundbite-heavy. I run audio of myself quoting from reports through a filter, which is a very cheap way to try to make it sound interesting. I much prefer people hearing to the voices of people I quote, and that is in the final segment which has already aired on the radio first.

What would me from 1984 think about being able to produce this information and grow an audience? I’m not sure, but I know I’m glad I put this together today. Producing audio is my favorite thing to do. If you listen, thank you!

One more thing to do before going offline for the night. I want to post the WTJU version to the because I put the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisor discussions on the Comprehensive Plan in one podcast. Just another way to document things that may slip past without being published somewhere.

Good morning and welcome to the July 27, 2024 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. Today is the National Day of the Cowboy, something officially sanctioned by the General Assembly in 2015. Nothing in this edition pertains to that, but somehow this ended up in the show notes anyway.

In this edition: 

* Habitat for Humanity will make a counter-offer of at least $7 million to purchase the Carlton Mobile Home Park in Charlottesville

* The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission agrees to pursue another round of funding for rural housing presentation 

* The Albemarle Planning Commission recommends approval of a rezoning for up to 165 units at 1193 Seminole Trail just north of the Charlottesville border

* Elected bodies in both Albemarle and Charlottesville are briefed on changes to the budget process that funds nonprofit agencies who provide services to help humans in need 

* New legislation now allows some appointed bodies in Virginia to meet virtually more often

* The TJDPC also receives additional funding from Virginia for broadband expansion 

* A local store that specializes in the creative reuse of art supplies joins a regional collective to promote the practice

Show notes for CCE-710A

If you listen carefully, this is the show that went out on WTJU this morning at 6 a.m. Ordinarily I would swap out the introduction, but I really want to take a break from audio production after yesterday. Sometimes this will happen.

This is the 19th edition of the podcast that has aired on WTJU and since that time I’ve made a lot of changes to my process. But this is not one of the days I want to write about it extensively as there’s other things I want to do today.

So, thanks for listening if you did, and if you didn’t, I recommend it. My career had an early start in public radio and I opted to go a different route and here we are.

Now it is time to get to work on the new set of stories!

This being a leap year, July 18 is the 200th day of the year. Will knowing that piece of information have any effect on how this day flows for you? Is there any significance to this being the 707th edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement? If so, can it be found by listening to endless covers of the song Seven and Seven Is? I’m Sean Tubbs, and while that’s unlikely I’m going to keep trying. 

In today’s installment:

* Charlottesville City Council is briefed on work toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions including a new dashboard to keep track of progress

* The Albemarle County Economic Development Authority endorses a request to increase the pay scale for federal employees in the Charlottesville Metropolitan area 

* Albemarle County has issued a request for proposals for a firm to change the traffic layout of The Square in Crozet and provide other improvements 

Yesterday my copy of Tuesday’s Charlottesville Daily Progress arrived via mail and it was a thrill to smell the paper and to remember my early days as a journalist. Though I was never an employee, I had stories appear for nine years from 2009 to 2018 and I’m glad to have been part of the first rough draft of history. 

I am grateful there are many sources of information about what happens in this community and glad I’ve got enough paying subscribers myself to keep me practicing my brand of journalism here at Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs, making sure you check out the ‘reading material’ at the bottom of every edition. 

In today’s installment:

* Charlottesville Area Transit starts off the new year with new resources

* A work group has created by-laws for a future Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority 

* Charlottesville is seeking people to join boards and commissions and applications are due July 31

Today marks the 79th anniversary of the first ever detonation of a nuclear bomb with the Trinity test in New Mexico as part of the Manhattan Project. Just a few weeks later, the United States would use one of these in combat to end the Second World War. The devices kept getting tested, though, and over 200,000 American soldiers took part in those that happened aboveground. Their participation was a secret until years later.

In 2015, the General Assembly passed a resolution marking July 16 as National Atomic Veterans Day. I’m Sean Tubbs, and this is today’s edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.

In this edition:

* The Virginia Department of Transportation is planning on putting lights on a section of I-64 at Afton Mountain 

* Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders reviews his first year in office 

* Albemarle County planning staff have made changes to the way the Comprehensive Plan is being revised and the Planning Commission got a briefing last week 

Time passes by quickly between sonic editions of the program for reasons that are still in flux, but here we are again with Charlottesville Community Engagement for July 12, 2024. This week marks the fourth anniversary of the first edition and since then I’ve written and produced thousands of stories.  I’m Sean Tubbs, and my best time is when I get to sit down and devote time to putting one of these together. 

In this edition: 

* July 12 marks anniversary of the lynching of John Henry James (learn more)

* Charlottesville City Schools moving forward with new names for existing institutions (learn more)

* Charlottesville marks Parks and Recreation month with proclamation, public input meetings (learn more)

* A long time advocate for the elderly is stepping down (learn more)

* Dominion seeks proposals to explore feasibility of a small nuclear reactor at Lake Anna (learn more)

* An environmental group gives a C+ to health of the Chesapeake Bay (learn more)

* Albemarle County launches a way for people to track transportation projects as well las some other tidbits (one story) (a second one) (and a third)

First-shout: Piedmont Master Gardeners have a newsletter

In today’s first subscriber-supported shout-out, the Piedmont Master Gardeners have already filled a July 20 class they have planned. But you can still learn a few things from their monthly newsletter called The Garden Shed. 

Volume 10, Number 7 for July 2024 is currently out and has articles with relevant articles for this scorching summer. Read about how to garden in Intense Heat and Drought and how to stop wilts and root rot in your vegetable garden, and a guide to freezing fruit! There are also columns on edible and ornamental items that might have sprung up in gardens this July. 

Take a look at the issue and another one will be along soon for July. And be on the lookout for classes as they fill up fast! There’s a lot more information at piedmontmastergardeners.org. 

Sponsored message: Buy Local  

Buying locally supports our neighbors and community members and makes a big impact for our local economy. Local businesses are more likely to reinvest in our community and their goods and services contribute to the unique character of our community.

Learn more about how you can support local business at ShowLocalLove.org and on social media:

* Instagram

* Facebook

* The website formerly known as Twitter

Thoughts on #704A

This week I got halfway through setting up a studio again, but I’m so much more driven to get new stories out than to produce the audio for them. I go in cycles, and at the moment, I seem to be avoiding going through long discussions to distill them. That’s the kind of work I want to be doing more.

But, I wanted to get one podcast out in this feed before the official fourth anniversary begins tomorrow. Four years ago I decided to just start doing this after a lot of planning and thought. Will I still be here in four years? What will have happened by then?

The only way I know how to stay sane is to track as much as I can and to bring it to you. I am hopeful to have audio integrated with the text again. I know there are podcast listeners who don’t read the print version, and I really want to make sure I’m getting these to you.

And now, it’s almost 5 p.m. and I want to get this completed so I can think about how I’m going to finish up the studio!

Let me know what you think! And a subtle reminder that Ting will match your initial subscription should you convert from a free subscription to a paid one!

Ting can help you with your high speed Internet needs. If service is available in your area and you sign up for service, enter the promo code COMMUNITY and you will get:

* Free installation

* A second month for free

* A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall

What’s in a number? Other numbers, usually. Seven hundred is seven times a hundred, or a hundred and forty fives, thirty-five twenties, twenty-eight twenty-fives, and many other rational combinations. This particular 700 is the one for Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter that seeks to be rational in its approach to presenting information that may sometimes be irrational. 

In this edition: 

* A trauma expert at the UVA Health System offers fireworks safety tips on this dry Fourth

* Fluvanna Supervisors agree to support a marker in Columbia  commemorating the farewell journey of General Lafayette in 1824

* Nelson County will receive $2.5 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation for sidewalk improvements on Front Street in Lovingston 

* Three Virginia transportation projects are among recipients of federal RAISE grants but a local bridge project did not make the cut 

Perhaps too much time passes between podcast versions of Charlottesville Community Engagement but imagine if you will a hypothetical listener at some point in the future listening to all of the episodes one after the other. That doesn’t really matter because you are the one experiencing the audio right now, and I have no idea when you are. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I do have the idea it is time to begin with this set of stories. 

On this program this time around: 

* Two major projects in Charlottesville cross major milestones (learn more)

* Youngkin makes five appointments to the UVA Board of Visitors (learn more)

* Two “shots fired” incidents after Chief Kochis presents data showing crime rate is down (learn more)

* Albemarle PC recommends special use permits for restaurant, solar array (learn more)

* Rosenberg to retire as Albemarle County Attorney (learn more)

* Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Worrell to take time to decide on court trial for zoning lawsuit (learn more)

It’s a newsletter! It’s a podcast! It’s a newscast! Is it a letterpod? I don’t know! But sign up and you’ll get whatever comes next in your inbox

First shout-out: Plant Virginia Natives

We’re in the third week of astronomical summer, and I’ve spent a lot of time fighting the invasive species that love to take over my yard. But as I think ahead to the fall, the winter, and the spring, I’m thinking about one resource that may help me develop a landscape more suitable to this area. I’m talking about Plant Virginia Natives! 

Plant Virginia Natives is part of a partnership with ten regional campaigns for ten different ecosystems across Virginia, from the Northern Piedmont to the Eastern Shore. Take a look at the full map below for the campaign for native species where you are in the Commonwealth. For the Charlottesville area, download a free copy of the handbook: Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Gardens. 

This shout-out has been with the newsletter since the beginning thanks to one Patreon supporter! Thanks to that person! 

Second shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society

In today’s second subscriber supported public service announcement, the Charlottesville Jazz Society wants you to know about their first concert of the summer. 

Saxophonist and flutist Lynn Riley and her band The World Mix will perform at The Front Porch in downtown Charlottesville from 4 to 7 pm July 21st.  A gifted instrumentalist and composer, Riley has impressed critics and audiences alike with her funky and accessible sound that is firmly rooted in the mainstream jazz tradition, while suffused with influences from a host of world music and the blues. 

For ticket information and to learn more, visit the Charlottesville Jazz Society at cvillejazz.org.

Thoughts on the end of #699-A

This took about four hours to produce. At least an hour of that was spent just staring at the screen as I tried to wake up. I can’t even fathom how I got these out as newsletter and podcasts at the same time. I’ve changed my process since then, and I can’t go back.

But, I will keep doing the audio versions because there are listeners. I am hopeful I can get two out a week, but this might be it. I’m contemplating taking a day or two off with the holiday, but I don’t have paid holidays.

What I do have is an audience that has grown slowly over four years, and I’m grateful that I get to decide what I get to do next. I know the next set of stories and I’m hoping to get something out tomorrow.

Let me know what you think! And a subtle reminder that Ting will match your initial subscription should you convert from a free subscription to a paid one!

Ting can help you with your high speed Internet needs. If service is available in your area and you sign up for service, enter the promo code COMMUNITY and you will get:

* Free installation

* A second month for free

* A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall

There are words written down, and then there are words spoken out loud and arranged into an order that allows someone listening to learn a few things about what’s happening in geographical area in which they are interested.

For those reading these words now, this is a complicated way of saying this is Charlottesville Community Engagement that has been produced for June 22, 2024. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I can report that there’s madness to this method. 

In this installment: 

* Charlottesville City Council reaffirms water protection ordinance / stormwater utility fee after two public hearings that were not labeled as such in the agenda (learn more)

* Charlottesville Deputy City Manager Marshall briefs Council on her approach to social equity goals (learn more)

* The Charlottesville and Albemarle economic development authorities meet to learn more about the regional strategies put together by another level of government (learn more)

* The University of Virginia Buildings and Grounds Committee learns how planning and budgeting works for capital projects (learn more)

* The Harrison Center of Translational Research at the University of Virginia is preparing to learn more about neurodegenerative diseases (learn more)

First shout-out: Friends of JMRL 

In the first subscriber supported shout-out since the summer solstice: Let’s learn a little about a nonprofit group that plays a major role to keep the Jefferson Madison Regional Library going strong. 

Friends of JMRL plays an important role in the slightly Byzantine structure of library budgets. Proceeds from the popular book sale go to pay for children’s, teen and adult programs. The five jurisdictions that make up JMRL pay for facilities, salaries, and operational costs. State aid funds the collection acquisitions for all materials, physical, and digital. The federal e-rate program pays for equipment purchases. And Friends of JMRL raise funds for all sorts of activities. 

That includes the Library endowment in conjunction with the Charlottesville Albemarle Community Foundation awards money to special efforts such as the NAACP scholarship as well grants to out-of-area patrons to cover the $30 fee for residents of non-member localities. Friends of JMRL also  manages the Books Behind Bars program. Volunteers find and ship books to Virginia inmates at no cost to the inmates. Expenses are paid through private benefactors and Red Light Management.

Visit jmrlfriends.org to learn more and find out how you can get involved. 

Second-shout out: Cvillepedia 

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

Thoughts at the end of #693A

And with publication of this newsletter, one week ends and another begins. I have two more stories to post to Information Charlottesville, but one may end up being more appropriate in tomorrow’s edition of the newsletter. For now, I need to turn my attention to putting together the Week Ahead.

By my count, there were 17 stories in the newsletter this week, and about half of them became audio versions. I’ve sort of figured out how to balance all of this in a way that the print newsletter gets out quicker and those who listen get to hear the stories the way they’re meant to be experienced.

People learn things in different ways, and I’m always looking to learn new methods of getting information to people. In four years, there have been hundreds of stories, and I hope to be able to continue this for some time to come.

Many of you subscribe and as its a Sunday and my time is partially covered by the sponsor of the Week Ahead, I’m going to spare you the sales pitch. I will ask you consider sharing this newsletter with someone else who may not know about it.

Listeners and readers wanted! Share with people you think may want to be informed about things!

The opening sentences of every single edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement are intended to be a script that opens up a podcast that contains several stories about items happening in order to engage the community of Charlottesville. In recent months, the podcast and the written newsletter are out of production sync but efforts are being made to restore this functionality. I’m Sean Tubbs, and hoping that those who read this and have not yet listened will hit play today. 

In this edition: 

* The primary results are in and the 5th District Republican nomination is too close to call, while Gloria Tinsley Witt wins handily over two fellow Democrats (read the story)

* Albemarle Supervisors commemorated Juneteenth earlier this month with a proclamation (read the story)

* The UVA Buildings and Grounds panel approves the Major Capital Plan, including planning studies for Fifeville properties and another look at a study to get off of coal (read the story)

* The Albemarle Fire Department recommends switching out mulch landscaping for rocks to prevent fire risk (read the story)

* Albemarle Supervisors think the Broadway area should remain available for industrial use (read the story)

* That elected body also endorses eight Smart Scale applications (read the story)

Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

First shout-out: Charlottesville Community Bikes’ Tour de Gluten on June 23

On Sunday, June 23, Charlottesville Community Bikes invites you to come along at noon with dozens of riders for the Tour de Gluten, a no-drop, social bike ride featuring stops at our talented bakery neighbors in Rose Hill/Preston/Downtown!

They have two ticket options:

* Ticket with Baked Goods: Covers highlighted items (baker's choice!) from each participating bakery. Registration closes one week before the ride so we can place pre-orders for the whole group, which we will pick up when we bike to each bakery.

* Ride-Only Registration: For those who want to join the bike ride but don't plan to purchase baked goods.

Bakery stops include:

* Althea Bread

* Baker No Bakery (at Grit Coffee downtown)

* Cumbre Coffee & Bakery

* Cou Cou Rachou

* Marie Bette Cafe & Bakery (on Rose Hill Dr.)

Second shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society

In today’s second subscriber supported public service announcement, the Charlottesville Jazz Society wants you to know that once a month they hold the Local Jazz Spotlight Series at Miller’s on the Downtown Mall. 

Coming up on Sunday, June 30, the spotlight will shine on the Jamal Milner Trio featuring Daniel Richardson. This takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the event is free. Maybe I’ll see you there as I’ve been wanting to go see one of these for months! 

If you can’t wait until then but need to go see some live music, the Charles Owens Quarter will play their 2022 album Golden Moments at the Vault on Thursday, June 20. The event is co-sponsored by the Charlottesville Jazz Society. Tickets 

But that’s just one of many great events coming up that you can learn about on the event calendar at cvillejazz.com. 

Notes for #692A

I wanted to be a public radio journalist and worked hard at a station for many years but there was never a job for me. Over those years, there was also less room in the schedule for me to sell stories as a freelancer. I created the Charlottesville Podcasting Network in 2005 out of frustration that local public radio at the time refused to put content out online.

The experience of going independent back then was exhilarating, but I did not have the reporting chops to do much. When I went to work at Charlottesville Tomorrow, management had no interest in audio except as a way to bring long meetings to people. Yet, every story I produced in my eleven years was written as if it was a public radio story as my primary reporting technique is to harvest audio.

I’m not sure if I’ll get back to every single edition being a podcast, as there are many items that simply don’t sound good. For a while, I would run my voice through a sound filter to read sound-bites, but I’ve stopped doing that as much since stories now also run on WTJU at 6 a.m. on Saturdays.

I’d like to grow the audience for the audio version, and I’ll continue to explore this. All I know is that I want to keep going with this work for a very long time, constantly refining the way I do things and never resting on my laurels. I’m allergic to them, anyway.

As I already did a pitch for paid subscriptions today, as well as the Ting advertisement, I’ll just leave it there with a thank you. And an image of the current snapshot of the spreadsheet that does all the real work of organization. I’m setting up to do this for a very long as there are subscribers willing to pay me to do the work.