Albemarle officials will begin a series of community meetings this week to gather ideas on how the county’s seven growth areas might use parts of $1.4 million set aside by the Board of Supervisors for small neighborhood-improvement projects.
“The best way to participate is by attending the March community advisory committee meeting for your part of the county,” Emily Kilroy, the county’s community engagement specialist, said in a news release.
Funding for the neighborhood-improvement initiative comes from the county’s $8.6 million surplus from fiscal year 2016. The idea is to identify and pay for small-scale projects that can improve the quality of life in neighborhoods that might not qualify through the county’s Capital Improvement Program process.
Projects could include bus stop enhancements, sidewalks or design studies for larger improvements.
The community advisory committees are groups appointed by the Board of Supervisors to oversee implementation of the county’s master plans. The master plans are an outgrowth of the 1980 Comprehensive Plan, which designated 5 percent of the county as urban and the rest as rural.
Supervisors recently agreed to fund a new urban planner position whose job duties will include coordinating any projects that come out of this process.
The public is encouraged to attend the committee meeting that corresponds to their residence:
» The Village of Rivanna committee holds its meeting at 7:15 p.m. Monday at the East Rivanna Fire Station, as well as a second meeting on a date to be determined.
» The Fifth and Avon committee will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cale Elementary School and at 7 p.m. April 20 at Monticello High School.
» The Crozet committee will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday and at 7 p.m. April 19 at Crozet Elementary School.
» The Places29-North committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. March 20 and at 5:30 p.m. April 17 at Woodbrook Elementary School.
» The Places29-Hydraulic committee meets at 5:30 p.m. March 20 and at 5:30 p.m. April 17 at Greer Elementary School.
» The Places29-Rio group will meet at 6 p.m. March 23 and at 6 p.m. April 27 at Woodbrook Elementary School.
» The Pantops committee will meet at 6:15 p.m. March 27 and at 6:15 p.m. April 24 in the Kessler Conference Room at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital.
Results of an online community survey, which ended last week, will be submitted to supervisors in early April.