Kathy Thornton is Associate Dean in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. Thornton took four trips aboard the space shuttle, and has been in Charlottesville since 1996. She was a guest on the July 7 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” with Coy Barefoot. Topics include how she became an astronaut, how to encourage kids to study math and science, and what her first flight was like in 1989.
Charlottesville–Right Now with Coy Barefoot
Airing Monday through Friday on Newsradio 1070 WINA
Bundoran Farm update with David Hamilton
On the June 24, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with David Hamilton of Bundoran Farm, a “preservation development” near North Garden. Throughout the course of the show, Hamilton explained to Coy what that means.
”We’ve preserved upwards of 90% of the productive agricultural and forestal land,” Hamilton said. “It’s very important to have a method of developing property which doesn’t destroy that which is important to the community, meaning productive farmland.” The site plan involves building the houses in such a way that allows the farm to continue operations.
Hamilton also weighs in on the topics of land use taxation, how high fuel prices are affecting Albemarle’s farmers, and whether the Albemarle County Fair will be affected by the new development.
Pat Enright of Dominion Development
On the June 19, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with Pat Enright, CEO of local developer Dominion Development Resources, LLC (DDR). Enright discussed two major projects his firm has been involved in recently, the Northtown Center development on behalf of developer Wendell Wood, and the proposed dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.
- Northtown Center approved - Phase I of the Northtown shopping center will contain a bank and other retail. Enright described his job as“really trying to align what the client needs, with what they’re allowed to do, with what the residents are going to be impacted by.”
- Dredging - DDR has proposed that an active quarry 3,000 feet from the reservoir be used as the disposal site for dirt removed from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. Enright admits that his company has a financial stake in that piece of land, but argues that this shouldn’t prevent citizens and government from looking at the merits of the proposal. Enright estimates the approximate cost of removing the 2 million cubic yards of dirt currently in the reservoir to be between $24-29 million dollars.
(links are to stories on Charlottesville Tomorrow)
Bolling skeptical special session will accomplish results
On the June 12th edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot talks with Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling (R) about the upcoming special session on transportation. Bolling summed up the prospects for the special session.
“There’s just no consensus… my fear is we’re going to go there on the 23rd, it’s going to be very short, its going to be very non-productive,” Bolling said., “I just don’t see a consensus building right now, and again it’s always possible that it could happen here in the next few days, but right now it seems highly unlikely.”
Governor Tim Kaine (D) has presented a plan that would increase fees for vehicle registration and increase taxes on car purchases, as well as levy a one cent sales tax increase on residents in Northern Virginia.
Bolling made it clear that he is opposed to such tax increases, stating his view that “there’s never really a good time to raise taxes, but frankly this is a horrible time to raise taxes because of the state of the economy.”
He also painted the Democrats in the General Assembly as out of touch with Virginia voters, arguing that there’s agreement between Republican lawmakers and voters.
“The problem in Richmond is not a lack of money, the problem in Richmond is a lack of fiscal discipline. We’ve got enough money through existing revenue sources to solve our transportation problems if we just use that money for transportation, as opposed to spending it on all of these new and expanded government programs, and the people of Virginia are a step ahead of the members of the General Assembly.”
Bolling outlined his proposals for solving the transportation problem without raising taxes. He said that reserving just 1% of the existing state sales tax for the transportation trust fund would result in approximately $950 million a year for transportation. As an alternative, he mentioned the possibility of requiring 10% of future revenue growth to go towards transportation expenses; he said that if the state had adopted this policy 10 years ago, it would have generated $800 million over the past decade. Bolling also laid out his plan for budget surpluses, arguing that “those budget surpluses are by definition one-time money, I think they should be used to fund one-time things like capital projects, building roads and bridges.”
Realtor Jim Duncan on the Central Virginia housing market
On the June 10 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot hosts a call-in discussion of the housing market with local Realtor Jim Duncan, who blogs at http://www.realcentralva.com/. The topics include:
- Duncan’s analysis of the current housing market in Central Virginia.
- Tips on how to price your house to sell in the current market.
- Public transportation- The impact of the lack of public transportation on potential buyers in the area.
- The desirability of urban living and its effect on housing prices
Tom Perriello on why he should replace Virgil Goode in the 5th District
Tom Perriello is the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, having been officially annointed at the 5th District caucus over Memorial Day weekend. He joined Coy Barefoot on the May 27, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now with Coy Barefoot” to talk about why he’s running, his work in Afghanistan, and how he sees his quest to break into politics as an extension of his drive for community service.
Perriello’s opponent is incumbent Virgil Goode (R).
http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/wina/rn_perriello_080527.mp3: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (211)Charlottesville Tomorrow update: Eastern Connector, water and pie
Brian Wheeler of Charlottesville Tomorrow joins Coy Barefoot every Tuesday to talk about local growth and development issues. To recap, Charlottesville Tomorrow is a non-partisan group that records various meetings in and around town to provide an ongoing archive of how and when decisions are made.
This week on the show, Brian and Coy discuss:
- Committee to recommend three options for Eastern Connector
- City School Board expected to make a decision on land for Meadowcreek Parkway
- Hawes Spencer of the Hook asks questions about the Community Water Supply Plan
- A preview of the April 28 County Planning Commission meeting
- Pie Day has been set for May 16, 2008. That’s when Brian and Sean Tubbs will traverse the County in search of pie. Albemarle County is the fifth largest locality in Virginia, and the trip is a chance for Sean to learn more
Charlottesville Tomorrow provides an e-mail bulletin every week so you can stay informed with what’s happening. Sign up today!
Sisters discuss how ACAC has improved their lives
Sherry Zak and Renee Breeden join Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to give a health and fitness update. The pair are sisters and have been ACAC members for over ten years, and tell the story of how working out have dramatically improved their quality of life.
Saying goodbye to the voice of Charlottesville
WINA’s Dick Mountjoy died earlier this month at the age of 61 following a long battle with cancer. Jane Foy joined Coy Barefoot on the March 28, 2008 to celebrate the life of one of Charlottesville’s icons. Guests include Dick’s son Mike Mountjoy who announced that the Memorial Service will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas at 11:00 AM on Monday, March 31.
Other remembrances:
- Chris Callahan describes Dick’s start in radio and how he became Charlottesville’s Mayor in the Morning
- “Voice of the Cavaliers” Mac McDonald talks about how he learned from Dick
- Former WINA News Director Sarah McConnell explains how Dick taught her how to do the news
- Bob Gibson of the Daily Progress reminisces about knowing Dick for 40 years
- Other past WINA employees and listeners phone in with their memories
Clara Belle Wheeler on her land being taken out of County’s growth area
When the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors adopted the Pantops Master Plan on March 17, 2008, one of the discussion points was whether to remove a 77-acre parcel of land from the County’s designated growth area into the rural area. On a 4-2 vote, the Board decided to proceed with that action. However, they did so against the will of landowner Clara Belle Wheeler. Wheeler joined Coy Barefoot a few days after the vote to vent her frustration.
Note: Wheeler is not related to Brian Wheeler of Charlottesville Tomorrow.Â