Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission

TJPDC E-News

Winter 2006

30 Years of Sustainable Solutions to Regional Issues

TJPDC E-News is issued on a quarterly basis to keep you informed about the programs and projects at the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. In addition to e-mail, every issue of TJPDC E-News is posted on our website at www.tjpdc.org. If you are interested in additional information on a particular subject, just click on the link embedded in the article or contact the appropriate TJPDC staff member. Please feel free to send comments and suggestions to info@tjpdc.org.

TJPDC Part of Easter Seals Project

The Disability Services Board (DSB) and the Transportation and Housing Alliance (THA) were selected to participate in the Easter Seals Project Action Mobility Planning Services Institute. This training opportunity, to be held in Washington, DC in April 2006, offers the opportunity for a team of local disability and transportation industry leaders to obtain information and strategies from industry experts in order to develop comprehensive community action plans to improve local transportation services. Team members include: Donna Shaunesey, Executive Director of JAUNT; Harrison Rue, TJPDC Executive Director; Bobby Burke, Virginia Industries for the Blind and long-time member of the MPO CHART committee; Nate Brown, Peer Advocate/ILS Specialist at the Independence Resource Center; and Neil Sherman, Specialized Program Manager at the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. For more information about the MPS Institute, please visit their website at http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_mobility_planning.

2012 Task Force on Homelessness Elects Officers

The Task Force to Develop the 2012 Plan to End Homelessness elected Mark Lorenzoni of the Ragged Mountain Running Shop as Chair and Laura Hawthorne of the University of Virginia as Vice Chair. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission also appointed three new members at their November 2005 meeting: Charlottesville Chief of Police Timothy Longo, Kevin Kirst of the Albemarle County Schools, and Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) Chair Judith Pitts. Other Task Force members are: Ron White (Albemarle), Buz Cox (Charlottesville), Shelly Wright (Fluvanna), James Howard (Greene), Paul Oswell (Louisa), George Krieger (Nelson), Tony LaBua, Rudy Beverly, Mitchell Toms, and Susan Shellito. The Task Force’s next meeting is scheduled for January 23, 2006. Information on the Task Force is available at: http://www.tjpdc.org/housing/Task_Force_on_homelessness.asp. You can also contact Evan Scully at (434) 979-7310 x440 or escully@tjpdc.org.

2006 TJPD Legislative Program Available

The 2006 TJPD Legislative Program, which highlights regional positions on issues such as transportation, local revenue authority, public education funding, the Comprehensive Services Act, and land use and growth management has been finalized. The text of the program is available at http://www.tjpdc.org/liaison/legProg06.asp. Also, beginning in mid-January, you can check out the Legislative Liaison page on the TJPDC website for information about local government issues that are being debated at the General Assembly, which runs from January 11 to March 11. Major issues and action will be highlighted in a legislative newsletter published every 7 - 10 days. If you have questions about the General Assembly, any legislative issue or the 2006 TJPD Legislative Program, please contact David Blount at (434) 979-7310 x350 or dblount@tjpdc.org.

Deadline Extended for Disability Needs Assessment Survey

Every three years, the Jefferson Area Disability Services Board (DSB) assesses the needs of people with physical and sensory disabilities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. This information is used to guide the activities of the DSB, inform local officials of needs within their jurisdictions, and advise state agencies. As it is important to have as large and representative sample of persons with physical and/or sensory disabilities as possible, the deadline for the survey has been extended to January 15, 2006. The survey is available in both interactive and downloadable forms at http://www.tjpdc.org/housing/dsb/needssurvey.asp. Family members and caseworkers may fill out the surveys for those unable to fill them out for themselves. For more information or for paper copies, contact Rochelle Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x320 or rgarwood@tjpdc.org.

Piedmont Workforce Network Receives Grant to Assist in NGIC Relocations

The Piedmont Workforce Network Board has received a $10,000 National Emergency Grant to use for planning purposes to assist in the transition of approximately 700 National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) employees and their families to our area. These employees will be relocating from their Bolling facility to the Albemarle County facility. For more information, please contact Todd Palmquist at (434) 979-7310 x 250 or tpalmquist@tjpdc.org.

TJPDC Welcomes New Planners

The TJPDC is pleased to announce the addition of two planners. Kellem Emanuele joined the staff in October as transportation planner and Andy Winz joined the staff in November as regional planner. Kellem holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. She most recently worked for the Program Implementation Group of Perrin Quarles Associates, Inc. She will focus mostly on MPO activities. Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography with a concentration in Environmental Planning. Andy comes to the TJPDC from Albemarle County, where he worked as a GIS Specialist. Andy is working on small town planning, rural transportation, and bicycling and pedestrian issues. If you would like to personally welcome Kellem and Andy, you can reach Kellem at (434) 979-7310 x260 or kemanuele@tjpdc.org and Andy at (434) 979-7310 x360 or awinz@tjpdc.org.

Disability Services Board Recognizes Employer of the Year

Over 100 people attended Employer Resource and Recognition Day, held on October 18 at the Albemarle County Office Building on Fifth Street Extended. The winner of the Jefferson Area DSB’s 2005 Martha Tarrant Employer of the Year Award for Outstanding Empowerment of People with Disabilities (which also includes a $500 technology implementation gift from Technology Tamers) was ARAMARK Dining Services at Observatory Hill for Managers Linda Black and Mora Sims. Their outreach to individuals with disabilities and the interpersonal systems that have been put in place are an example of human resource excellence. Other Employer of the Year nominees who received plaques included: Our Lady of Peace – Dining and Nursing Services; ARAMARK Harrison Lodging at The Federal Executive Institute; ARAMARK Dining Services at UVA – Castle Dining; Food Lion – Ruckersville; and Wayne’s Body Shop – Ruckersville. Special thanks to the Department of Rehabilitative Services and the Piedmont Workforce Network for funding and staff support for the event. For more information, you can contact Rochelle Garwood at (434) 979-7310 x320 or rgarwood@tjpdc.org.

Realtors Begin to Focus on Transit-Ready Development

The National Association of Realtorsâ is beginning to focus on developing neighborhoods by applying Smart Growth principles to prepare for future transit needs. A concept called “transit-ready development”, coined by Harrison Rue, is proposed as a way to accommodate the future, long-term needs of a growing community. This type of development is used in more rural areas where the current density does not support mass transit. The idea is that once adequate density develops, the infrastructure and route choice will allow for effective transit service. For more information, visit http://www.realtor.org/SG3.nsf/Pages/winter06ready?OpenDocument or contact Harrison Rue at (434) 979-7310 x110 or hrue@tjpdc.org.

Nellysford Participates in Second Community Planning Workshop

In Nellysford, the community planning process continued with a follow-up session on November 22. In response to the visions produced by participants at the September 26, 2005 workshop, TJPDC prepared sketches of possible scenarios for the future development in Nellysford. With close to 100 participants, a productive dialogue among participants and TJPDC staff resulted in new ideas for Nellysford’s future. TJPDC staff will refine development sketches and present them at a future workshop to be held in early 2006. The PowerPoint presentation and handout from the November 22 meeting are available at www.tjpdc.org/community/index.asp. For more information contact Bill Wanner at (434) 979-7310 x390 or wwanner@tjpdc.org.

Life After High School Website Now Online

TJPDC was awarded a grant by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities for “Mapping Transition Services for Students with Disabilities.” This grant helped develop a “mapping tool” that showcases the transition resources available in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District, which will be the inaugural project for the Jefferson Area Transition Council, linking schools with agencies and organizations in the region. This navigational tool, in the form of a web site, is now posted in its permanent location at www.LifeAfterHS.org. This is a tool for students with disabilities to navigate the transition from student to adult life. The site is also helpful for other students making plans for life after high school, and for people with disabilities of all ages to access information on available programs and resources in the Planning District. TJPDC encourages you to visit the site and submit any comments to improve its content or organization, as well as stories about how you used the site. For more information and to send your comments and success stories, contact Billie Campbell at (434) 979-7310 x230 or bcampbell@tjpdc.org.

Executive Director Assists With Envision Houston Project

In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Harrison Rue assisted the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) in planning and implementing Envision Houston. The workshops were designed to help the 8-county region to decide how and where an expected 3.5 million new residents will live, work, and travel around by 2035. Rue conducted facilitation training for H-GAC staff and partners, along with leading three of the regional workshops. Primary consultants Fregonese-Calthorpe Associates will be developing and analyzing alternative scenarios for presentation later this spring. For more info about Envision Houston, see

http://www.envisionhoustonregion.org.

Annual Housing Report Submitted

The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the year ending June 30, 2005 was submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development on October 28, 2005. Report highlights indicate that in the past year:

One hundred twelve (112) people received direct housing assistance
100% of people served were low or moderate income (defined as having incomes at or below 80% of the area median income)
52% (58 out of 112) of people who received direct housing assistance had incomes at or below 50% of the area median income
62% of the families assisted with HOME funds were racial or ethnic minorities

For more information, contact Billie Campbell at (434) 979-7310 x230 or bcampbell@tjpdc.org.