2006-12-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Dr. Joe Mason, 109 Gloucester Court, a psychiatrist, said that 28% of the Charlottesville population is uninsured. He urged Council to adopt a resolution in support of House Resolution 676. Ms. Lucille Miller, 1318 Oxford Circle, expressed concern about Council’s endorsement of wind power in Highland County. She said it impacts bats and many groups are either opposed to it or want more information before making a decision. She said conservation may be just as effective. She urged Council to write and withdraw their endorsement and to wait until further research is done before supporting wind power. Mr. Kyle O’Connor and Mr. Matthew White, representing the U. Va. Student Council, asked for a letter of support from City Council for their initiative to bring a presidential debate to the John Paul Jones Arena in 2008. He said the City’s role would be to provide Police and Fire services. Mr. John Pfaltz, 1503 Rugby Road, a member of CHART, expressed concern about the traffic to be generated by the Biscuit Run development in the County. He said the traffic will pass through City neighborhoods only, not County neighborhoods. Mr. Charles Weber, 601 Locust Avenue, said he was surprised by the magnitude of the budget surplus. He asked what can it tell us about our budget process. He said there is no resolve by Council to impose spending discipline. He asked why tax increases were necessary given the surplus. st Mr. Stratton Salidas, 618 South 1 Street, said that the designs for the Meadowcreek Parkway interchange all show the Parkway. He said if the interchange and Parkway are the same project, then the federal requirements apply to the Parkway since federal funds are being used for the interchange. He asked that the Steering Committee show the interchange to be a truly stand alone project and show a design with the interchange alone. He asked where the traffic from the Parkway will go once it gets to McIntire Road. He said an in-depth study needs to be done. He said we cannot count on the Eastern Connector. Mr. Bert Wellons, 775 Allen Road, Earlysville, said that some of his land was taken for a reservoir at Buck Mountain, but now the land is proposed to be used for mitigation. He suggested that the land be given back to the previous owners. He asked why twice as much mitigation is being done as is required. He said the mitigation plan would wipe out bottom land. He asked about the possibility of negotiating with landowners, and suggested that other land could be used for mitigation. Mr. Blake Caravati, 1108 Little High Street, a member of the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center Board, asked Council for support of the Board’s SAFTEA grant application for $300,000 for phase one of the project which would be used for a road and parking lot construction. COUNCIL RESPONSES TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC Mr. Norris said he hopes Council can support the Student Council’s request for a letter in support of having a 2008 presidential debate in Charlottesville. Regarding Mr. Salidas’ comments, Mr. Norris said we put ourselves in a precious position when we argue that the interchange and Meadowcreek Parkway are separate projects. He endorsed the idea of asking for a design of the interchange without the Parkway. He said he thinks we need better traffic numbers, noting that when previous studies were done Biscuit Run was not planned. Mr. Lynch agreed about the interchange design and said he had previously asked for that, but was not supported by other Councilors. Mr. Taliaferro thanked Mr. Pfaltz for his comments. He said it is a scary situation, and he has concerns that the City is fast becoming a cross-road for the County. He said it is incumbent on the County to come up with connector roads.